This has been a banner year for the Kawakami family of Manoa. As Manoa DNA, dad Lloyd and sons Nick, 23, and Alex, 20, have released their first CD, "Follow Me." And now the multitalented gene pool is branching out in the family business, Iolani Sportswear, as Lloyd and Nick launch an updated line of men's shirts.

IO-Sport is an innovation in Island menswear and a departure from the family's 53-year tradition of making quality aloha shirts in Island-style prints. Its sophisticated styling can go from beach to boardroom, and it's made of high-performance fabric that shares a rich look with linen.

The line was inspired by the success of companies such as Nike and Patagonia that have made a name — and created a huge market — with high-tech fabric innovations. Rather than beginning with a piece of art and having it printed on existing fabric, which is how most aloha shirts are created, the Kawakamis decided to take a step back and begin with the formulation of a new yarn with desired properties.

In a bold business move, Lloyd assigned his oldest son responsibility for the project. "In trying to conceptualize this new line of shirts, I am always reminded that I am a rookie, and there's a lot I have to learn," Nick said.

Dad Lloyd, however, sees this as an advantage. "There are a lot of his ideas where I just say, 'Hey, I never thought of that,' " Lloyd said.

A RETRO LOOK

The styling of IO-Sport shirts is reminiscent of the retro look that's so hip right now. It's a little bit '70s, a little bit bowling shirt, a little bit club guy.

"Regardless of a guy's age, I see a trend toward the younger, more active lifestyle. It's about being outdoors, being active and going to clubs at night," Nick said.

In a sense, Nick has designed shirts to suit his own style, which he describes as "a little more formal and classy."

Practicality also plays a major role. The Kawakamis have worn and washed the IO-Sport shirts multiple times. They hold up well to a hot water wash and to being tossed in a dryer. A little ironing is helpful but not necessary, reported Lloyd.

A NEW GENERATION

Lloyd remembers when his father, Keiji Kawakami, founder of Iolani Sportswear, got him involved. "He told me 'Here's a project, now run with it.' He never told me how to go about it, and that applies to Nick now," Lloyd said. "My job is to make sure he has the support and resources, to set wide parameters and let him run with it."

As a 2005 marketing graduate of the University of Portland, Nick thought he could take some time off to "just hang out and take a break," he said.

His dad had a different idea. "When Nick came on board in January 2006, I felt this project needed a fresh pair of eyes and some new thinking. Our men's market had been on cruise-control, and it needed something. But what?"

On the Island menswear scene, Nick said, "There hasn't been anything new that people could get excited about. There was no shirt out there that you could wear to the beach and the boardroom. You would have to change shirts."

So the company decided to revolutionize the aloha shirt by maximizing comfort and utility, beginning from the basic fibers. Nick worked with a mill in Hong Kong to combine natural and synthetic fibers, creating the look of linen with the properties and practicality of high-performance fibers.

As with any family business, there always is give and take. And the Kawakamis are involved in two businesses together: fashion and music. Yet it all seems to be working, whether it's in the Kona Street manufacturing center or on a music tour in Japan.

"When (Nick) says 'Why not?' he causes us to ask ourselves 'Why not?' The beauty of him not knowing the business is that he doesn't know the business," Lloyd said with a broad grin.

Reach Paula Rath at paularath@aol.com.