Page 12 - MidWeek - April 5, 2023

12 MIDWEEK APRIL 5, 2023
Story By GINGER KELLER Photos by ANTHONY CONSILLIO
Often called “the curator of modern aloha,” Meleana Estes is flourishing these days, thanks in part to a fragrant new offering: a book that celebrates the flowers
and lei of the islands.
By definition, when a flower blooms, it’s in a state of beau- ty, freshness and vigor. It’s basking in warmth, bright in color and celebrating its moment of glory.
with recently reached out to me on In- stagram to congratulate me on the book ... and he was like, ‘I still remember the herds of you walking into grad- uation with haku lei on your caps,’” shares Estes. “My tūtū came and made 14 lei for my 14 best friends and, of course, puakenikeni lei for all my guy friends.
wrapped it in a pū‘olo. It was an event, receiving a lei from her. I’ve been told that by many people.”
By comparison, Meleana Estes is in full bloom.
In 2015, a few years following her tūtū’s passing, Estes, a fashion design- er-turned-stay-at-home-mom, wanted to get back in the groove of things. That’s when a friend, Courtney Mo- nahan, who owns Kaka‘ako-based bo- tanical boutique Paiko, suggested she hold a lei workshop at her storefront.
Hot on the heels of launching a jew- elry line, Estes’ first book, Lei Aloha: Celebrating the Vibrant Flowers and Lei of Hawai‘i, debuts April 25. It’s essentially a hardcover, 256-page love letter to her tūtū, the late Ame- lia Ana Ka‘ōpua Bailey, a meticulous and magnificent lei maker who shared her passion and expertise with Estes, along with the love and aloha that came with it.
“The energy, love and devotion she had to adorn us for events was amaz- ing,” Estes continues. “It was the way she showed aloha. It wasn’t just buying a random lei — she really cared and
“I was like, ‘Who’s going to pay for that? Whatever, sure,’” recalls Estes. “But so many people came — and a lot of them said they used to make lei or did one time for a May Day perfor- mance when they were kids, but they didn’t have the chance to sit and make lei in a really long time and needed a refresher.
Anything worthy of a celebration warranted a lei from tūtū. At her baby lūʻau, a 1-year-old Estes donned a tilt- ed haku that barely fit her tiny head. When her Punahou School paddling team won the championship, the entire team was dressed in lei po‘o as they gripped and lifted their oars in victo- ry. And while attending college on the East Coast, Estes received a FedEx box on her birthday containing fresh lei that was shipped thousands of miles across the country.
“What’s also kind of cool is that people were like, ‘Whoa, this takes so long.’ And I’m like, ‘See! These are not easy. This is a huge treat to receive this.’ And I think people really under- stood that when they make a lei, a lot of aloha goes into it.”
“My friend who I went to college
Meleana Estes’ first book, Lei Aloha: Celebrating the Vibrant Flowers and Lei of Hawai‘i, debuts April 25. Photos were taken at the Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort, Waikīkī.
Estes went on to teach countless workshops in Hawai‘i, the mainland and Asia, and, by doing so, continued her tūtū’s legacy and shared the prac-
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