Dr. Andy Reilly and History graduate student Terri-Lee Bixby traveled to UH Hilo to set up an exhibit on muʻumuʻu in the Edwin H. Hookini Library. Presented by the Waiolama Center and on display though Merrie Monarch, the exhibit included 10 historic muʻumuʻu from the UHM Historic Fashion Collection.

Dr. Leanne Day from the English Department at UH Hilo said, “Waiolama Center was thrilled to host the ‘Movement in Muʻumuʻu’ exhibit at Mookini library as part of ur Kahikuonālani Merrie Monarch week at UH Hilo. Dr. Reilly and Terri-Lee Bixby’s generative and expansive talks inspired students to consider the history of textiles and fashion through social and political changes. We hope that we can continue to collaborate with Dr. Reilly to bring future exhibits to UH Hilo!”

Dr. Reilly spoke on social movements of the muʻumuʻu from its inception in 1820 as an undergarment for the holokū to a day dress in the 1930s and to today’s new interpretations by local designers. Ms. Bixby spoke on the role of muʻumuʻu in hula and how silhouette, cut, and pattern relate to the performance and physical movement.

By Dr Andy Reilly

In the FDM 339 3D Retail Store Design course, taught by Dr. Ju-Young Kang, students learn visual merchandising principles and design exterior and interior retail environments using MockShop (visual merchandising software), Adobe Photoshop, and AI integration. Students create walls, ceilings, flooring, store layouts, fixtures, promotional posters, display windows, mannequins, and planograms, aligned with their brand, store, and merchandise concepts. Please view all of the students' Spring 2026 3D retail store design projects here.

This Spring semester, Dr. Kang enhanced the curriculum by integrating virtual reality (VR) headsets. This immersive integration enabled students to export and navigate their 3D retail store models on VR hardware, refine VR system settings such as floor level and scale, etc., and view their store models so realistically that they felt as though they were stepping into an actual retail store. It created a uniquely experiential learning environment.

By Dr Ju-Young Kang

Four Stole Society officers and the advisor traveled to Tokyo and Atami. The five-day winter trip included a visit to Bunka Fashion College. They explored the Nippori textile district for fabric search and shopping. The group enjoyed a cultural experience with an onsen (hot spring) in Atami. Join the Stole Society to help plan exciting trips for upcoming years. Visit @Stolesociety

By Dr Minako McCarthy