Jalene Kanani Hitzeman

A natural born creative, textile designer Jalene Kanani began her creative expression through hula, beginning at the age of 3, and within 3 years she was a regular keiki performer in Don Ho’s iconic Waikiki show. As a teenager she became a governor’s model who traveled the United States promoting Hawaiʻi as well as an international hula dancer for Tihati Productions. Her experience as a hula dancer provided a steadfast foundation to ignite her cultural curiosities while defining herself as an ambassador of aloha. Creativity was not only encouraged but modeled for Jalene, whose mother owned and designed Hawaiian fashion label Wailani Originals: Hula Girl Creations,” a line of t-shirts and bags sold at Liberty House and McInerny in the early 1970s and became her first foray into design. Determined to develop her business acumen to compliment her creative impulses, she earned a B.A. in Political Science which led her to a corporate job in furniture flooring and equipment supply. Working with textile manufacturers afforded her the unique opportunity to forge important relationships within the industry as well as realize the niche markets that had yet to be developed in Hawaiʻi and beyond. Her designs were well-received and she began licensing designs to international manufacturers such as Duralee and Durkan. In 2008 she established Jalene Kanani Inc., designing commercial carpeting and flooring through ProSPEC contract fabric, where she continued to hone her skills and develop her unique brand aesthetic. Her experience inspired her to parlay her tribal prints into a collection of home goods in unexplored areas of Hawaiʻi's interior industry. In 2018 she launched NOHO HOME with a line of bedding featuring her distinguished patterns. With dreams of new textiles and product development on the horizon, Jalene’s success in the world of home decor has only just begun.