Iwi Nails was born in late 2021 by owner Līhau Willing’s desire to create nail art designs that reflect her culture and identity rooted in Hawaiʻi.

The wahine born in South Kona met her husband from Molokaʻi, and prior to settling on the Friendly Isle in 2009, the pair spent some time in Korea. It was there that Willing was exposed to the global beauty industry, particularly gel nail strips and accessories. Upon returning to the Islands, she researched what it would take to produce a long-lasting product with ʻāina-inspired designs.

Today, “Iwi Nails offers semi-cured gel nail strips and custom press-ons, with a focus on community engagement through collaborations with local artists and nonprofits,” according to its website. “Unlike typical nail strips, you cure these after application for a manicure that lasts 3-4 weeks when applied correctly.”

She recalled a couple of her first collections, Hebrew cone shell and pastel palaka prints, which are still among the brand’s most popular designs.

“On that first day, I had 50 orders and it went from there,” she said. “It was very much unplanned.”

Storytelling is a priority, she adds, noting that intentional moʻolelo is included in the packaging, on the website and through social media. “One really important thing for me is making sure that Hawaiʻi has accurate cultural representation not just on the continent but across the world. Our designs aren’t just for Hawaiʻi people to wear.”

Willing joined Purple Maia Foundation’s FoundHer, a business accelerator for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Asian women entrepreneurs across Hawaiʻi, as part of the 2022/2023 cohort. She also filmed a commercial with Disney Advertising called “Let Your Nails Do The Talking,” now streaming across Disney+ and Hulu.

Iwi Nails can be shopped online and in wholesale retailers across the Islands. Last November, Willing launched her first storefront on Molokaʻi, which also showcases other local makers.

“It’s been really good and offers a curated boutique vibe,” she said. “As a business owner [here], there are benefits and struggles — shipping is a struggle, cost can be restrictive, networking and mentorship is tough. But the community is strong and supportive.”

Expanding the company’s reach and partnerships continues to be a focus. Iwi Nails will be at pop-up markets in Honolulu over the summer, including the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival on August 20-23.

The businesses’ Look Good Do Good program donates a percentage of sales to various causes. Its Behbeh collection, in collaboration with @elc.designs, has supported Kūlaniākea, a Hawaiian immersion early learning program committed to raising the next generation of ʻŌiwi leaders. Other collaborations have benefited student designers from Molokaʻi High School; Kona nonprofit Kupa ʻĀina o Keauhou, which aims to protect natural resources, community spaces, and sacred historical places; AND The Hawaiʻi LGBT Legacy Foundation, which aims to support, empower, educate, unify and facilitate LGBT organizations and individuals across the state.

“As I started to hone in on Iwi’s purpose, people connect to the designs and seeing themselves in it, right? The nails are such a powerful way of self-expression. So, being able to choose a design that feels truly yourself, it’s huge,” Willing said. “What I started to realize was that I could share what felt like me and some people might relate to that. But the more I could share other people’s perspectives and identities, the more people would be able to find belonging in these designs. We’ve shared a lot of unconventional stories that you wouldn’t think would be through nails.”

Willing is the brand’s sole employee, though, she has brought on part-time workers to help with fulfillment previously, she said, adding, “I wanted to create more job opportunities but then it became difficult to afford it, especially with the surge in tariffs. I had to pare down. I’m looking to bring back a team eventually.”

She is also the primary designer, which she does by hand working with simple block shapes.

When asked what advice she’d give to other Hawaiʻi small business owners, she said, “Give in to the delusion.”

“I’ve had to think big and believe this is totally going to work and just commit. You have to be in it 100%. It’s never going to be easy,” Willing said. “It’s a crazy steep learning curve owning a business. I didn’t expect it to evolve and probably would have done things differently if I knew more from the beginning. But it has taught me to give myself a little more grace, to be flexible and resilient. Understanding the importance of a vision, or something you’re working toward, is what keeps me going.”

This article is reprinted with permission from “Aloha State Daily, the new news for Hawaiʻi.” Read more at alohastatedaily.com and sign up for its free daily edition email at alohastatedaily.com.

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The Hawaiian temple dates to the 11th or 12th century, according to a sculpture from the City and County of Honolulu, which manages the site situated on the Kāneʻīlio Point near Pōkaʻī Bay in Waiʻanae.

The ancient name for this place was Neneʻu before it became Kūʻīlioloa, translated to “the long dog form of Kū,” or the God of War as a dog. Legend says a navigator from Tahiti, Lonokaeho, constructed it as a training center and lighthouse for navigation. It is the only heiau in the Islands that is bordered on three sides by the ocean.

Today, The Royal Order of Kamehameha I, Moku O Kapuāiwa Chapter, helps mālama the land by mowing the grass, restoring rock walls, pulling weeds, planting trees and more, at least twice a month, so that the local community can still use and enjoy it.

“It’s not a burial heiau, but a navigation point. Not many people know that,” Rocky Naeʻole, member of the Order, said. “It’s part of our kuleana. This is for us to maintain. We donʻt receive income from anybody. It’s all volunteer. Weʻre just here to do the work.”

Naeʻole was born in Honolulu and moved to the West Side at age 12. He’s fully retired, yet committed to six to eight community organizations, he said.

“Our Order has 10 mokus. Kapuāiwa covers the Waiʻanae Coast to the North Shore to ʻEwa,” he explained, adding that its membership is in the hundreds, while about 30 to 40 individuals remain currently active.

The purpose of the Order is “to preserve and perpetuate the ancient customs of Hawaiʻi” and uplift the Hawaiian people, its website states.

He noted that the group collectively decides what they want to do in the community each year; this project has remained a priority for 12 or more years.

“You can see the stars so clear out here,” he said, noting that University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa students, nonprofits, visitors and community members have come out before to stargaze. The Order plans to host a navigation event open to the public later this year.

Naeʻole is looking forward to the community events lined up this year and hopes to work with the county on signage for additional moʻolelo of Kūʻīlioloa Heiau.

Another member of the Order, Abraham Kalani Kaʻio, shared what the ancient site means to him.

“This heiau is a gathering of all of the Pacific Triangle. Every island in the triangle, you can get there from here. This is a tie to all of our brothers and sisters in the triangle, and I try to explain that to every race that comes here. In one way or another, your family [has] been here.”

He presented a map, showcasing the 13 public-access heiaus along the Leeward Coast. Others sit on military-owned land, he added.

Kaʻio, who was born in Germany and raised on Oʻahu, said that when they first started cleaning the heiau years ago, “it was in bad shape. The place was overrun by homeless and nobody took care of it.”

Now, he says some have returned to lend a hand on cleanup days, which typically run on the first and third Thursdays of the month.

Not to mention, several organizations have aided in caring for the marine life, consisting of at least three species of birds, as well as Hawaiian monk seals.

His advice to young people is to learn their culture instead of playing games, he said with a laugh. “Your knowledge of culture is knowing who you are.”

While standing at the point of Kūʻīlioloa Heiau, Naeʻole asked if there was anything I needed to let go of.

I replied with a nod.

He said to face the ocean and close my eyes, then began to pray in ōlelo Hawaiʻi.

I breathed in and out twice as instructed. The wind grazed my cheek and tossed my hair.

“You can see the ocean from three sides and take it all in, feel how quiet it is,” he said. “If I’m stressed out – which I don’t try to stress myself out, sometimes you can’t help it – this is where I come.”

This article is reprinted with permission from “Aloha State Daily, the new news for Hawaiʻi.” Read more at alohastatedaily.com and sign up for its free daily edition email at alohastatedaily.com.

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