Lei Aloha by Meleana Estes (below) published by Penguin Random House. PHOTOS BY TARA ROCK
Lei aficionado and all-around style maven Meleana Estes (meleana.com) has turned her love of lei into a beautiful coffee table book, Lei Aloha. The island influencer paired up with her friend and co-author Jenny Fiedler and photographer Tara Rock to create the stunning tome that celebrates the history and culture of Hawaiian lei-making. Each chapter covers a different kind of lei and is paired with beautiful photography of vibrant florals and the island residents who turn them into eye-catching garlands. Estes and Fiedler were inspired to write about this Hawaiian tradition in honor of Lei Makamae, another book on lei-making published 20 years ago. The duo flew to Hawai‘i Island to interview the author’s daughter and got her blessing. “While lei has always been an intrinsic part of our culture in Hawai‘i and a large part of my own ‘ohana’s traditions, I really felt in the last 15 years there has been such a beautiful wave of an increased appreciation for lei,” Estes explains. “I just hope this book inspires a new love of lei.”
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