For Regina "Lola" Miller and Alexis Akiona, fashion and family run together. The mother-daughter duo run separate design businesses on different islands-Miller's Simply Sisters in Hilo and Akiona's Lexbreezy Hawaii on Oahu-but they still come together to push each other's creative vision.
Miller started Simply Sisters more than a decade ago to design hula wear for her New Hope Hilo Dance Ministry sisters. Her contemporary Island wear took off, quickly becoming popular statewide. A self-proclaimed "plant girl," Miller says that her prints showcase the beauty and spirit of the Hawaii Island landscapes that she and "the sisters" love. Miller's hula sisters have been involved in the business since the beginning, traveling with her to local fairs and special events, with Merrie Monarch being the capstone. "All of our adventures inspire the designs you see on our clothes," says Miller, "from the anthuriums we use to make lei po o [head lei] for birthdays, to the monstera we pick for decorations-every design is a memory we've enjoyed together." After ten years of once-a-week boutique hours and craft fairs, farmers markets and pop-ups, Miller's dream of a storefront in the heart of Hilo finally came true-with her daughter's encouragement.
That encouragement works both ways. Akiona sold her first line of t-shirt dresses at the 2016 Merrie Monarch hula festival from her mother's Simply Sisters booth. She's since left the nest to open her own boutique in Kailua on Oahu in 2021, launched a keiki line at Nordstrom Hawaii and designed her first swimwear collection for Hawaii Swim Week.
Though on different islands, with different sensibilities ("My mother loves native Hawaiian plants, and I love color. Simply Sisters has a contemporary look, and Lexbreezy has a fun, energetic look," Akiona says), mother and daughter remain connected. "We work very closely on collections and have similar tastes," says Akiona. "My mother is my inspiration, and I love that I get to continue to honor her legacy. We are a package deal." To that end, aloha wear aficionados (men, women and keiki) can look forward to Simply Sisters/Lexbreezy collaborations and exclusive Lexbreezy styles available only at the Simply Sisters Hilo store.
Miller also hopes to nurture aspiring local artists and entrepreneurs, as she did with her own daughter, by providing a space to showcase their work. "We are built on this foundation of sisterhood," says Miller. "Now I'm excited to share this next chapter with our town."
lolamillerdesigns.comOpens external link to page that may not meet accessibility guidelines
lexbreezyhawaii.comOpens external link to page that may not meet accessibility guidelines
