Former Cornell graduate turned International travel marketing expert turned music guru has brought some serious hip over to Hawaii from New York City with the launch of fashion forward boutique-Seastar 8.4.23. Nana Fujise relocated to Honolulu to open this Waikiki hidden gem in early 2009. The name 8.4.23 is the address of Fujise’s seaside home in Zushi, Japan, where she was born and raised while Hawaii served as a secondary home and island escape for family vacations lending inspiration to the other half of the haute store’s name-Seastar.
At face value, Seastar 8.4.23 evokes beachy, but this place is packed with big city style boasting select designers from New York, Los Angeles, Japan, and Miami. Sharpening the owner’s style sense is Fujise’s impressive travel background as she’s collected inspiration from London, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, and the Caribbean.
The store feels like a New York loft and is both minimal in design and designer selections. Choose well-edited styles from the array of collections offered including silk tops by Parker, Nation Ltd. tees, dresses by Alexis, handbags by Beirn, Jeffrey Campbell footwear, and limited edition neon jelly bracelets by Jules Smith. The store also stocks Maile Organics, a luxury organic bath and beauty product line from the island of Kauai. Seastar 8.4.23 even offers Skype shopping events allowing you to shop serious style from the comfort of your own home.
This Waikiki gem offers an eclectic mix of designers and styles typically hard to find in Hawaii. It’s like a little piece of New York City transported to the islands and well worth the trek to tourist-laden Waikiki.
Seastar 8.4.23 is located at 423 Nahua St. in Waikiki, 808.922.8423. www.seastar8423.com for more information.
