Kava shirts to dye for

from w,
Only in the 'High Tide' country of Savusavu would someone come up with this idea. Shirts steeped overnight in kava! The enterprising designers are from Windward and are a Canadian couple who love to live in Savusavu. Their Windward Apparel website says more. There certainly should be a song written about these shirts!
from Fiji Times the astute Labasa journo, Teresa.
Kava shirts on show
Theresa Ralogaivau
Saturday, June 26, 2010
KAVA shirts from Savusavu will feature on the world stage at the Shanghai Expo in China soon. The shirt which is steeped in a 40 gallon drum full of the popular traditional brew, yaqona, has been selected to showcase Fijian culture and designs through textiles at the Fiji Pavilion of the Expo. The shirts are manufactured by Windward Apparel in Savusavu.

Owner Sean Cody said kava shirts are popular in the tourist marked because of the traditional significance of kava and indigenous designs printed on it. "We have been selling them to resorts around the country," he said. "The shirt is dyed overnight in yaqona, that's lots of yaqona and taken out the following day, hung out to dry.
"A fixative is added to retain the yaqona dye which basically means you can suck on the shirt sleeve and feel good. And traditional Fijian designs are printed on it to make it a genuine textile representative of Fijian tradition. And to be showcased at the expo is major with 190 countries participating."