Hokua Swim, an eco-friendly, handmade, small swimwear business, is solely owned and operated by Josuna, a seventeen-year-old girl from Oahu, Hawaii.
Josuna is a self-made entrepreneur and artist that has always had a love for the beach, surfing, and bikinis. She was born and raised on the Hawaiian islands with a deep passion and care for the environment and ocean. She was unfortunately able to see what pollution and waste could do to our ʻāina (land), and learn about labor exploitation issues. She felt guilty whenever she bought a bikini that wasn't sustainable or ethically made. She’s also always struggled to find the perfect swimsuit, whether it was terrible quality, a horrible fit, or an ugly style. So, she was inspired to design and create her own, perfect, sustainable bikini. At just thirteen years old, she was drawing, planning, measuring, and designing in her bedroom. She used an oversized bikini that was going to be thrown away, cut out her pattern, and sewed on her parents' rickety old sewing machine. It was a long and frustrating, but rewarding, experience. Eventually, after messing up, retrying, failing, and finally succeeding, she hand-sewed her first-ever bikini.
She began to make custom swimwear for herself, her sister, and her friends for practice. As time progressed, her swimwear-making skills greatly improved.
She eventually began to charge money for her hard work and put whatever she earned towards upgrading her materials, tools, and machines. Before she knew it, she had a small business running right out of her bedroom, and in 2021, Hokua Swimwear was born.
Josuna aspires to be an entrepreneur! Every purchase you make and support you give to Hokua Swim, is support for both the environment and Josuna and her goals!