Sharing Manaʻo from the Selective Experience

 

Visiting Our Production

September 2026

We began our wetsuit journey in 2022, which represented a departure from having our garments manufactured strictly in Hawai’i.  Some folks still ask me if I make the wetsuits in my home. As an educator, this reflected to me the need for more awareness about how our garments are made and all the incredible skill and technology that goes into a single piece. 

Our wetsuits are proudly and with so much respect, manufactured in China. I have admittedly been somewhat uncomfortable operating the business, having not seen our production first-hand, in the first few years. As someone who has worked as a garment worker here in Hawaii, as well as had both clothing factory workers and clothing factory owners as friends when I lived in China, I felt I had a decent gauge for selecting production remotely, but getting there (with my little intern) has been top of mind for a while. 

We were fortunate to get to travel to Dongguan at the end of August and meet the people we have been working so closely with, from afar, for the past three years. We got to share space, and food, and our intern even attended a local school (which she loved!). We saw see each step of production, from the slicing of the neoprene slabs into precise thicknesses, to the fusing of neoprene to various fabrics. We saw fabric printing, thermal pressing for labels, fabric inspection, and all sorts of industrial sewing machines from single needle to cover stitch to bar tack. We saw how computer programs were utilized to maximize fabric space and reduce waste in plotting cutting plans, and how both digital cutters and specialty molds were employed to cut our suits' pieces. Most importantly, we found quiet, spaced out, well lit and ventilated, air conditioned work spaces in which folks were engaged in focused work, some tuned into their own headphones, others engaging in conversations while they worked.

Knowing how all the things we buy and engage with come into being - from what resources and and under what conditions - is deeply important to me. What I witnessed in China was not only production that I am in awe of, it is production that I could honestly sit down and participate in.

Clothing does not grow on trees. At its most sustainable, perhaps it can be resourced from a single tree, but clothing necessitates process. For wetsuits, from neoprene to garments, this involves over 20 distinct steps and integrated technologies, each demanding refined skills and constant observation. Without skilled people, the technology can do nothing. 

I share this footage and this manaʻo because we assume that everyone wants to know how many people and steps it takes to make the clothing we wear. And everyone wants to know how the people that make our things work and live. 

I recognize that we are one of few clothing companies that can say we know where our resources are coming from, and we know who and how our products are made -- and we love them.  I hope that in the future we will not be so unique, as people continue to seek more information about the things they use. Caring about the process, is caring about people.