At the sunny beaches of Hawaii in the breeze of the Pacific, Norwegian student-girls Anita, Åse and Christine, discovered the much talked about material, Hemp. Hawaii as well as the whole west coast of Northern America has for years used this material, perhaps especially the remaining hippies, to make bracelets, anklets and other Hemp accessories. The girls became hooked and started braiding between the surf on Waikiki beach.

Not only the girls were hooked, other beach bums and non bums gathered around the girls, who due to their intuitive sense of business, and charming smiles, sold their bracelets to the enthusiastic crowd. The extra cash made the girls stay at the island much more joyous.

Island life did however come to an end and the hemp girls returned to their normal habitat on the west coast of Norway, where mountains and fjords meet and creates a rough and scenic picture of colours; Stryn. As Stryn Summer Ski Center attracts numerous skiers and snowboarders during the summer months, the hemp girls' new environment was yet another place where the braided bracelets and necklaces exited the young crowd of snowboarders, skate kids and others.

The Trip

As summer died out and the thrill of rough Norwegian nature turned cold and harsh, Åse and Cristine decided to travel through east and south- east Asia, whereas Anita headed back to the hard knock life on Hawaii. The travels proved to boost up the girls' interest in hemp accessories and two new hemp girls, Nelly and Anne, were engaged in the "sisterhood!" Beads and hemp was gathered from Kashmir in India, Pokhara in Nepal, and varies places in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia. Being locked up on a house boat in Northern India as well as being stuck in Cambodia due to floods, gave room and time for braiding and planning.

Life was a wonderful and exciting thing and Aloha Hemp was always a part of what the girls encountered. Partners and manufacturers were made throughout the trip, two of these was the most talented young graphic designer Johan Dahlkvist, as well as manufacturer of accessories Atval.

The spirit of and the vision of Aloha Hemp were now shaping under the Eastern star lit sky, influencing the design and image of the Aloha Hemp accessories 2002. Returning from the East, Aloha Hemp was no longer purely a wish, it was becoming a name that people had heard of and that more and more related to.

The Hemp Girls had to do more...