When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! That’s what Alfred Shaheen did.

When he opened Shaheen’s of Honolulu in 1948, he had to keep a year’s worth of fabric on hand to protect against shipping delays and other unforeseen factors which hampered cash flow. Plus he often found himself settling for whatever fabrics were sent by the textile mills instead of what he had ordered.

So he boldly took matters into his own hands. He built his own equipment, sought out his own textile designers, hired workers to screenprint their designs and was soon producing 60,000 yards of fabric per month.

But not just any ol’ fabric with any ol’ designs in any ol’ colors.

No, no, no. Alfred Shaheen raised the bar!

All colors were applied by hand so they saturated the fabric. Workers had over 1,000 dye colors to choose from. And he refused to do “hash prints or chop suey prints.” Quality was the name of the game.

Perhaps that’s why Alfred Shaheen prints are still so popular today. And while sometimes the style of his dresses and maxi dresses can look dated, that’s definitely not the case with today’s VPOD.

This vintage Alfred Shaheen Asian-print dress and matching jacket could hold its own in any modern office.

It’s a top-notch find for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Mod Mod Mod. | Discovered at TheFind.com.

(To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)