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Olive & Oliver Sets Up Shop in Waikiki’s Surfjack Hotel

Surfing, an ancient form of art in Hawaiian culture, evolved into the modern sport it is today with the help of a small group of ocean-loving adventurers. Jack London, Alexander Ford Hume, George Freeth and Duke Paoa Kahanamoku – these men were not only legends, they represent an energy that is alive and well at the Surfjack.

It’s the creative and collaborative spirit of Olive & Oliver Waikiki—the hotel’s new surf apparel, sundry, and artisan coffee shop—that makes the retail addition a perfect fit. This isn’t just the place you go to binge on a new pair of Dolce Vita shoes. It’s where you want to pull up a chair and stay awhile, with one hand on a Caffe Vita cold brew and the other thumbing the latest issue of Flux Magazine.

In 2008, husband and wife entrepreneur dynamos Ali McMahon and Parker Moosman thought up Olive boutique in Kailua, a retail store catering to women’s fashion—Ali’s childhood dream turned reality. Soon came “Oliver,” the men’s equivalent.

When you cruise Ali and Parker’s stores, you’ll find a pretty big nod to Waikiki surf culture. Old black and white photos of Ali’s family surfing in Hawaii from the 1950’s-60’s decorate the walls. The clothing is throwback-meets-the-shores of California and Hawaii.

Parker says, “I think about Robert Redford, Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley.” If a guy in 1965 wouldn’t wear it, Parker isn’t interested. For women, you’ll find lines like Ella Moss, Splendid, and Young Fabulous and Broke. This aesthetic, coupled with Ali and Parker’s profound sense of place, is what drew the project to the duo. The rest is history.

The opening of Olive & Oliver Waikiki is symbolic of the larger mix of artists, makers, and curators that have come together to make the Surfjack more than a hotel, it’s a unique and authentic experience not found anywhere else in Waikiki. At Olive & Oliver, the espresso is brewed right in front of you, vinyl records playing set the mood, and you can bet the artwork is local.