Lola Pilar Hawai'i is named in honor of the creative women who came before us—four grandmothers whose hands were never idle and whose love language was making beautiful things.
Lola Pilar, my husband's Filipino grandmother, sewed vibrant aloha shirts in Los Angeles for the pure joy of it. Grandma Pauly crafted intricate dried flower wreaths and built a life as an antique dealer with an eye for beauty. Grandma Vickie painted and moved through the art world with quiet confidence. And Great-Grandma Ruby stitched for Lee Jeans by day and pieced quilts by night.
They didn't create to sell or impress. They created because they had to. Because it brought them joy. Because their hands knew how to transform the ordinary into something worth keeping.
That spirit lives in every piece we make.
THE ARTIST BEHIND THE WORK
I'm Kristen Reyno—photographer, designer, and the person behind every image you see here.
I grew up on O'ahu surfing, hiking, and soaking in the kind of natural beauty that makes you want to capture it somehow. That pull led me to Brooks Institute of Photography in California, where I studied film, and eventually to a dream job as staff photographer for a major surf company.
Later moved back to the islands and built a career photographing weddings and families, I felt burnt out after a decade. I needed to create something that was entirely mine.
So I started playing with flowers and now I am here.
Each piece begins with me sourcing flowers and fruit from aunties' backyards, roadside lei stands, and farmers throughout the islands. Sometimes a blossom is so perfect I'll knock on a stranger's door to ask if I can photograph it.
Back in my studio, I spend hours—sometimes an entire day—meticulously arranging each petal, leaf, and stem. The compositions are inspired by vintage Hawaiian quilts: bold, graphic, layered, symmetrical. But the colors? Those are all me. Saturated, unexpected, unapologetically bright.
Once I've captured the perfect shot, the real magic happens: transforming that original photograph into wearable art.
Our silk kimono robes, scarves, and tops aren't just printed with a pretty pattern—they're printed with my original fine art photography. Each piece is produced in Italy on luxurious silk, cut and sewn by artisans who understand that this isn't mass-market fashion. It's wearable art.
We make small batches. We don't replicate bestsellers endlessly.
This is intentional. I'm not trying to outfit everyone. I'm creating for women who see clothing as an extension of their creativity, who aren't afraid of color, and who value owning something truly one-of-a-kind.
WHY "LOLA PILAR"?
In Tagalog, "Lola" means grandmother. Pilar was my husband's Lola—the one who sewed those aloha shirts just for fun, just because her hands needed to create.
The name is a tribute to her and to all the grandmothers who taught us that making beautiful things isn't frivolous. It's essential. It's legacy.
When you wear Lola Pilar, you're not just wearing a robe or a scarf. You're wearing a piece of art that honors the women who taught me that creativity is love made visible.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Art shouldn't just hang on walls—it should move through the world with you.
We believe in bold color, in supporting local flower farmers, in Italian craftsmanship, in limited editions, in saying "I made this" instead of "I bought this."
We believe you deserve to wear something no one else has.
Most importantly, we believe every piece should bring you joy—the same joy my grandmothers felt when their hands were busy creating something beautiful.