Rock Salt Plum
Wahine Rising Spotlight
Heather has a natural ability & knack for design! She manufactures all our Wahine Rising shirts in the back of her shop, Rock Salt Plum. Her creativity is very helpful to me!
It feels so right that we’re able to support each other’s businesses & collaborate on this mission to empower wahine everywhere. Keep reading to hear more about her & the beginning of Wahine Rising.
When did you start your business?
“We started the t-shirt business, Aloha State Tshirt Co in August 2019. We opened the storefront, Rock Salt Plum, in November 2019.”
How did you start Rock Salt Plum?
“It all started with too much YouTube! My partner went down an internet rabbit hole researching T-shirt printing & discovered a new style of digital printing called Direct to Garment - DTG…
We loved that DTG allowed users to print one at a time full-color designs of photo quality. Before we knew it, he purchased the equipment & was calling on me to come up with branding and t-shirt designs. I have zero background in either, but I am fearless and resourceful.
Together we began the journey of learning a new trade, quickly rented a print shop space & to be honest, just went for it. My dad taught me: only after you fully commit to something will the doors of opportunity open for you.
Before we were even done with our workshop space, the retail space next door became available. We instantly rented it & expanded to add a boutique component to the plan. Perfect, a place to sell our shirts!
We hit the ground running and celebrated four successful months of operation until COVID. It was at that point that Jonathan had to step away. He left printing & the shop to me & my Mom.
To be honest, although we had to be creative and pivot to save the business, COVID gave us the resource of time to actually develop our plan & learn more about the craft.”
What does Wahine Rising mean to you?
“This means 2 things to me. First, when Stacy came to me with ideas to print motivational shirts, her simple idea to name it Wahine Rising instantly felt right. Yes. Yes. Yes.
This is who we are as a Kaua’i Community, as a country, and as a world. I’ve spent years advocating for women’s empowerment, so anything I can do to celebrate & perpetuate this movement is natural.
Second, the Wahine Rising logo is a design I developed myself, and I am proud that so many women love it.”
You can shop Wahine Rising & other handmade, Kaua’i-exclusive clothing at the Aloha State Tshirt Co website.
If you’re not on Kaua’i & want to rock a Wahine Rising hat, use this link to get a hat shipped directly to you!