tattooing for a living

Practice makes permanent

808 iD house artist, Keahi, is busy working at House of Ink Tattoo Waikiki so he is getting quite adept at color, flowers, script and Hawaiian/Poly/Malihini blends. When he comes back to Hilo, he tries to broaden his horizons by going back to his roots - mixed tribal with urban flair. Follow him on Facebook so you know when he's coming home.

Nā wao 'ekolu t-shirts

Nā wao 'ekolu after Christmas sale

$18 with free shipping to Hawai'i and Alaska

(add $5 for shipping to the 48 contiguous states)

This new design pays homage to the three realms of wao akua, the uplands and home of the gods, wao kanaka, the realm of man and kai ākea, the oceans that surround us. The three 'iwa  on the bottom not only represent our family guide, but represents the relationship, parent to child, kupuna, mākua, mo'opuna, past, present, future. . .

E-mail to order: 808idesign@gmail.com

Special Order Hat

This is a special order for one of my students at Kamehameha Kapalama. He wanted a green hat, manō, water elements, tribal and rasta colors.

If you want your own special order hat, let us know!

Follow us on Facebook for the latest

Getting ready for the Kamahalo Craft Fair in Volcano. We know itʻs far, but Kamahalo is actually run by our family (grandma Hughes), so weʻll brave the cold. Kamahalo is one of our kupuna from Molokaʻi.

There are also lots of artists in Volcano Village who open up their studios for thanksgiving weekend. Come by if youʻre in the neighborhood. Weʻve got black Friday specials on our newest wahine t - Maluhia because this is the season for peace. The shirts are fitted for curves, but we also have some xl loose for the more modest gals.

We'll also be bringing our trucker hats. Remember, everything is original so if you like it, get it. No one else will ever have the same hat as you.

Mother's Day Crocs

My mother's day shoes. It's becoming a tradition that for mother's day I get shoes from Ahi. I actually had these red ballet shoe Crocs, then he started making a tiare design, changed his mind, erased what he did (ancient Pake secret), then came up with this multi-layer design.

Seen em da arare

Mahalo to Uncle Kinohi of Hawnmade who wore the 808iD Kawili T at his "Feed My Tummy" show! You're the first "Seen em da arare" star.

Merrie Monarch Rains

Rain in Hilo during Merrie Monarch week is a good omen that the festival will be extra special. I can't wait to see what's going to happen. Some of the best performances happened when Hilo was storming, and with three of our own controlling things from above, watch carefully. . .look for the hōʻailona.

If you're not following us on Facebook, there have been daily teasers of our one of a kind hats. We'll be at the Butler Building from Wednesday - Saturday, but if you're not in Hilo, and want to contact Ahi about new merchandise or special orders, contact us through Facebook or 808idesign@gmail.com.

Here's this morning's teaser:

Shoes Make the Man

Tevons Arm

For his birthday braddah Tevon asked me to draw him up a sleeve for his arm. So I decided to take this opportunity to try something a little different and the result was pretty fresh.

Senior Legacy

So yesterday, March 27th, I held the first annual "Next Genereation" art class as part of my senior Legacy Project. Mahalo to Isaiah, Maka'ala, Anyssa"Weird Hungry girl", and Reegan the over achiever for attending. Big Mahalo to Kuhao Zane for coming down and talking with the kids. What great Saturday.

Domo Arigato

So I was browsing 808 Empire and saw this dope shirt that Fumanchu just dropped. It's called Arigato and seems to be a perfect drop to the comming of the Chinese New Year. $24 at the 808 empire store

Kona Island?

Everyone knows that Wal Mart secretly sells the most popular hat in Hawaii. This hat is the "hang loose" hat found in the tourist department but every local seems to own one...i know i did. But now, the company that distributes through Wal Mart has come out with this new design. Call me a bad Hawaiian but I had no idea that kona was an actual Island. And where's Oahu?

I bought the hat despite its obvious flaws, I praise it for its imperfections and for the fact that it was only $2.

Shakas and Stink eyes

I was just browsing through a couple of local news site today during my News writing class and I came across a portion the Big Island Weekly called "Shakas and Stink eyes for the week". Basically shakas go out to something good that happened during the week and stink eyes go to the not so maika'i things.
This weeks shakas and stink eyes

Shakas:
-To Humpback whales numbers going up 6 percent over last years count.

-To all of the military soldiers and Hawaii National Guard -- thanks for your service.

-To a redux of the plastic bag ban -- it is the right thing to do

Stink Eyes:
-To the economy slamming isle car dealerships; in the long run it will take its toll.

-To the House for killing the Civil Unions bill -- it shows a lack of spine in state politicians.

-To the proliferation of little fire ants on the Big Island -- just like the coqui, they are here.