NAKOA News

Hano Fernandez Hano Fernandez' clients describe him as a happy man, always ready with a joke and a smile. He grew up on Maui, and has Tahitian, Hawaiian, and Cherokee ancestry among others.  Hano apprenticed with Samson Harp at Pacific Rootz Tattoo and still works there. When Hano is not tattooing, he...

Marlo Lualemana Marlo created the Polynesian tattoo art for Ola cuff bracelet. Born and raised on Oahu, and a professional hula dancer for 10 years, Marlo now lives and works as a tattoo artist in Northern California. Her start as a tattoo artist was unorthodox.  She drew a custom tattoo design...

Do you love the beach? We do! And we love photo shoots at the beach.  They show off the natural leather of NĀ KOA wallets in a natural environment, in the sand, with driftwood, on lava rocks. But sometimes things can get out of hand… This lava rock at Keawakapu...

It all started with Derek. We met him on a drive up Haleakalā and on one of the stops he took his shirt off. Derek is in amazing shape, but what made him look downright regal were the Polynesian tattoos on his chest, lower back, shoulder and arms that had...

  You already know how we became obsessed by the idea to create leather gear with the fierce beauty and real meaning of “tribal tattoos”. (Read about it in A Labor of Love) But turning this idea into reality was harder than we ever imagined. Challenge 1:  The fake and...

Eugene Ta'ase “I have always been fascinated with Polynesian art and have been drawing for as long as I can remember,” Samoan tattoo artist Eugene “Eugenius” Ta’ase says. Eugene started his tattooing career on Maui when he moved there from American Samoa and his interest in Polynesian tattoos quickly turned...

 Teva Lowy Teva was born in Hawaii from Tahitian and Seychelles parents, but his art is firmly rooted in Tahiti. He learned tattooing from his friend Teni (aka “Gringo”), one of the most well-known Tahitian tattoo artists, along with his Marquesan cousins. Teva travels to Tahiti every year to spend...

Kuaika Quenga Born and raised in Maui, Kuaika has become a successful award-winning tattoo artist. But he didn't start out that way.  In fact, he was on a dangerous path early on before he found his calling as a Hawaiian tattoo artist at the age of 15. “I started hanging out with the...

Xavier Saint Amand “I was the first artist of color to open a tattoo studio in Paris,” says Xavier Saint Amand proudly. Born in Guadeloupe, Xavier studied Tahitian and Marquesas tattoo art under the internationally renowned Tahitian tattoo artist Julien in Montpellier, France. Polynesian tattoos quickly turned into a passion...