Sharayah Chun-Lai fell in love with fashion when she was a little girl. Her maternal grandmother enjoyed accessorizing, styling garments with shoes and other items; young Sharayah was fascinated by the process. By the time she was a senior at Kamehameha Schools, her interest in fashion had evolved to becoming a fashion industry entrepreneur and business owner.
Chun-Lai graduated from Kamehameha in 2012 and then earned a bachelor’s degree in fashion design and merchandising from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2016. She started her company, Ola Hou Designs, specializing in contemporary Hawaiian-style clothing, in 2019.
Last month, Chun-Lai, 27, took a group of 45 models, dancers, musicians and support staff — including her husband, Jairah Chun-Lai, and their daughter, Emsley Chun-Lai — to New York Fashion Week in New York City. She presented a collection of 20 “looks” for men and women on Feb. 10. There also were fashion shoots on location, and networking events to introduce Chun-Lai, Ola Hou Designs and her models from Hawaii to the New York fashion industry.
The prints that premiered during the week can found under “Collections” on the Ola Hou Designs website. For more, visit olahoudesigns.com.
I know that you wanted to make your participation in Fashion Week more than a fashion show. How far were you able to go?
It was honestly more than I could have ever imagined. I wanted to put on a show that would showcase aloha, Hawaii and our culture and my friends, and, of course, start the show off with a chant and hula that represents our home before bringing out the models. I also wanted to be able to give (the models) opportunities to further their careers as well. It was a big production to do, and I think it was completely worth it. We had such amazing positive feedback from people in New York and from all over the world. It was just amazing to hear that everybody loved it so much.
How do you approach design? Where do you get your inspiration?
It depends on what’s happening and the situations that we’re in. One of my prints was dedicated to the entire team that went up to New York as my thank you to them for all the hard work that they put into it. (Design) is a process, just to be able to sit in my office and think of what it is culturally that I can bring out to represent our culture. What is unique and different that I can bring out that will be catching to the eye but also be able to make a connection to a story?
I’ve seen photos of your daughter wearing your designs. Could a modeling career be in her future?
I had my daughter very young. I had her in 2017, and I was very blessed to be able to have stayed home to raise her, and start this business. And she has been a part of it every step of the way. She’s 4 now, but she’s just amazing. She loves to be with me in my office. She loves to see all of the drawings and she helps me pick out colors. And then of course with this whole experience, she just absolutely loved the modeling, so it’s definitely something worth thinking about. I have so many videos and pictures of her walking down our hallway and doing her poses, and she’s so cute.
Other than your daughter’s potential career, what are you working on?
I am preparing my online store for inventory, to be able to stock up all of the new styles and prints that I just came out with. And I’m preparing for some opportunities that I’ve been presented as well. I’m excited to share them with everybody soon.
Do you have something that you’d like to achieve in 10 years?
I honestly haven’t even thought about that, that far into the future. I’m just excited to see how everything will go from now on. This opportunity has opened so many doors, and I am very much open to what’s to come and excited and ready to work hard for it. It’s just — it’s a dream come true. And I’m excited to tackle anything that comes my way.
