FAQs

  • Hawaiian Culture is at the forefront of how we create our products —firm in our philosophy of “Mālama ʻāina, mālama wai,” our materials sourcing, production, packaging and shipping all come first.

    Since our studio is located in the SF Bay Area, we work first with local suppliers in California and Hawaiʻi to source our natural and organic fiber textiles. Same with our natural coconut shell buttons. For pieces made in-house, they are handmade with organic cotton thread, sourced in the USA.

    All remaining materials needed that we cannot source locally, come from certified international suppliers who work with GOTS & WRAP credentialed vendors.

    All in-house printing is done by hand in small batches using non-toxic water-based inks, including Algae Ink™ (see FAQ section “What is Algae Ink™?”). So please expect batch to batch variation in screen printing, ink/dye color, and pattern placement from piece to piece as they are handmade.

    All other chemicals and products utilized in the screen printing process are eco-safe, drain-safe, and break down completely in the natural environment.

    Tees are sourced through our vendors Everybody.World and Alternative Apparel.

    More on Alternative Apparel - We selected 100% organic long-staple Egyptian cotton blank tees made in WRAP-certified factories in Egypt helping to provide stable jobs and economic benefit to the local community.

    For products not covered above, we continually work to improve our materials and product sourcing.

    If you have any questions about how we further incorporate our philosophy of “Mālama ʻāina, mālama wai,” then please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@kekoacreative.com

  • Most black ink is made from carbon black derived from fossil fuels. Algae Ink™ offers a better alternative. Created by Living Ink Technologies, this innovative ink uses algae cells for pigments, making it safer, cleaner, and more suitable for recycling and composting. Algae Ink™ also features a net negative carbon process, which captures more carbon than it releases. Algae Ink™ is a Water-based, OEKO-TEX certified screen ink. Please urge all companies and creators to use this revolutionary black ink solution!

  • Yes! Founder and Designer Kekoa Hager is kānaka, an indigenous Native Hawaiian, and has been part of the California & Las Vegas Hawaiian Diaspora since childhood. His small business, Kekoa Creative, operates out of Richmond in the San Francisco Bay Area.

    Originally born on Oʻahu, Kekoa's ʻohana has been a part of the Waiʻanae community in Lualualei valley for generations -- with deeper ancestry originating from the islands of Maui nui a Piʻilani and Moku o Keawe.

    Today, Kekoa's ʻohana can be found from back home in Hawaiʻi, to California, to Las Vegas, and to Arizona. He proudly calls California his home today, but is always finding more opportunities to mālama pilina (create relationships) and kākoʻo (support) Hawaiʻi.

    We primarily focus on in-person selling at local marketplaces, at festivals celebrating Hawaiian culture (vetted), and online via our E-Commerce platform.

  • Usually, it takes 3–5 days at most to fulfill an order, after which it’s shipped out. Special circumstances affecting fulfillment or shipping will be announced by the shop. The shipping time depends on your location, but can be estimated as follows:

    USA Domestic: 3–5 business days

    Hawaiʻi: similar, but could be +1 day

    Tracking Number will be sent to you via email when your order is fulfilled.

  • You’ll first receive a confirmation email after placing an order. After that, you'll then receive another email with tracking info when your order ships out.

    If you have any questions about your tracking or shipment, drop us a note via email at info+shipping@kekoacreative.com with your order number and we can further help you.

  • We’re so sorry if the product you ordered arrived damaged. To help us resolve this for you quickly, please do the following.

    Note: You must contact us within a week's time from receipt of product.

    Please do the following:

    1) Send us an email at info+shipping@kekoacreative.com letting us know that "I received a wrong/damaged product" via the subject line.

    2) Provide us with your order number and any other details you may have about your order including a description of the issue with photos.

    3) After you contact us, we will ask for photos of the wrong or damaged product if you haven't sent any. We need these pictures to issue a refund or replacement.

    4) Refunds or replacements are at our sole discretion but we promise to look at each case in detail.

    We’ll get back to you with a resolution as soon as possible! Mahalo nui for your patience!

  • We offer returns and exchanges, but if there’s something wrong with your order, please let us know by reaching out to us via email at info+shipping@kekoacreative.com and we will try to work with you. In all honesty, we canʻt afford to be taken advantage of by those who abuse this process so please note that all refunds are at our sole discretion. Please see other questions in our FAQ, above. Mahalo for your understanding as we are a new small business.