Page 3 - MidWeek Windward - Nov 30, 2022

Kāne‘ohe Woman Represents Nike Athletic Apparel Collection
Pi‘ikea Kekīhenele- huawewehiikekau‘ōnohi Lopes of Kāne‘ohe is the new face of athletic apparel giant Nike.
Language Award portion of the Miss Hula competition, impressing spectators and judges with her mastery of ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi.
more than nine hours and featured Lopes dancing her award-winning hula kahiko in traditional costume, along with an array of images of her wearing items from Ni- ke’s N7 collection.
A Roosevelt High School teacher and University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa graduate student, Lopes will repre- sent the global brand’s spe- cial edition N7 collection, which celebrates Indigenous communities through ath- letic apparel and footwear. She was recently featured in a preview of the collection that appeared on a billboard in New York City’s Times Square.
“It’s how I was raised and how I went through life and how my parents taught hula,” states Lopes. “(It’s) how my parents taught lan- guage and spoke language at home.”
“It’s nice being noticed by a globally known brand wanting to feature Hawai‘i and acknowledge hula as a sport,” states Lopes.
This is just the latest rec- ognition for Lopes. Back in April, she won the coveted Miss Aloha Hula title at the Merrie Monarch Festival. She also won the Hawaiian
In September, Nike offi- cials flew to O‘ahu to film and photograph Lopes at Mākaha Beach as part of the N7 ad campaign. The professional shoot took
“Whoever is representing any brand that’s featuring an Indigenous culture, I just want to make sure that they hold their loina (customs) pa‘a (strong),” Lopes states. “Just stick to your gut.”
A billboard previewing the Nike N7 collection featuring Pi‘ikea Kekīhenelehuawewehiikekau‘ōnohi Lopes of Kāne‘ohe was on display in New York City’s Times Square. PHOTO COURTESY NIKE
Lopes is the daughter of R. Keawe Lopes Jr., who is director of Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Lan- guage, and Tracie Lopes of hula hālau Ka Lā ʻŌnohi Mai O Haʻehaʻe.
Nike officials expressed their appreciation for Lopes’ authenticity and commit- ment to ensuring the cam- paign was culturally appro- priate.
In addition to her achieve- ments in hula and ‘ōlelo Ha- waiʻi, Lopes is also a com- petitive powerlifter. She has
four state records for bench Hawaiian language at Roos- presses and deadlifts. She is evelt High School.
pursuing a master’s degree in For more information, visit education at UH and teaches hawaii.edu/news.
NOVEMBER 30, 2022 3
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