They'll Make Beautiful Music Together
Maikai Makena found quick success with his Maikai Collection of fashion T-shirts in 2004, selling them to top boutiques such as Black & Blue in Santa Monica, Calif., and Costa Mesa, Calif.
But such early success must not have been enough for this 25-year-old surfer because he changed his business plan. In March, Makena and his partner, 22-year-old singer Nikki Lund, will debut a complete collection called Eccentric Symphony. The two plan to exhibit the new line at Agenda and the Pool Trade Show in late 2005.
The Encino, Calif.–based line will continue to showcase the Maikai T-shirts, which feature bright graphics of blossoming flowers. But the new collection will also include the bottoms that Lund designed for her Kijo Jeans label.
Lund said the bottoms will stress a rock ’n’ roll nightclub look. But comfort also will be an emphasis.
“When people look good, they don’t feel comfortable,” Lund said. “I’m trying to fill the gap between comfort and feeling fashionable.”
The self-financed label will eventually include leather, denim and sweats, Lund said.
The pants will wholesale from $75 to $120, and the shirts will wholesale from $50 to $100. T-shirts for men and women, featuring embroidery, will be constructed from a soft jersey and Lycra material. The clothing will be manufactured in Southern California.
Makena and Lund hope to blend the best of their backgrounds for fashion inspiration.
Makena, a former pro-surfer, was featured riding the waves of Hawaii with surf champions Gavin Beschen and Sean Slater in the 1995 surf DVD “Stoney Baloney,” produced by activewear giant Volcom. He studied graphic design and silk-screening at Golden West Community College in Huntington Beach, Calif.
Lund is a singer for rock band Secret Mind. Makena met Lund after one of the band’s club dates in September 2004 and suggested they collaborate on T-shirts. They soon became partners.
Lund said she hopes their joint venture will form a bridge between action-sports clothing and rock ’n’ roll–inspired streetwear, creating a new, fashionable look for the surf-andskate crowd.
“Surfing is what you do. It’s not how you want to look all the time,” Makena said.
For more information on Eccentric Symphony, call (949) 521- 3399 or (818) 929-4370. —Andrew Asch
