The second design I ever cut was inspired by a Chinese container. Two koi facing each other became one of our iconic images in the early days. The design was featured on the yellow awning at the first Sig Zane Designs store on Kilauea Avenue. My inspiration in 1983 came from paper hand cuts from China. I drew several koi with black ink (I was too intimidated to hand-cut all of the scales at the time!). The koi were printed on pareu and also on the Chinese tees that we offered at craft fairs. In celebration of Boy's Day 2010, I wanted to bring back these koi, this time hand-cutting the stencil. I selected three of the original nine fish to represent the three generations of Zanes: my father, myself and my son, Kuha`o. The name Welo means progeny. The term also means to flutter as in the wind, and especially on Boy's Day we enjoy seeing the Koi Nobori in the breeze, anchored by tall bamboo, representing all the boys in the family.

Inspired by the ivy-league shirts of the early 1900s, the fabric designs are pure Hawai`i, and the look is pleasingly fresh. The Buttondown is an open front, tapered shirt with a full length placket. Coconut buttons are featured on the stand-up, button-down collar and on the front placket. Fabric is machine-washable 100% cotton broadcloth. Tuck it in or leave it out over the trousers for a more casual look. Either way, it's the perfect touch of crisp aloha!