Kā Mākou Moʻolelo
Aloha kākou a welina mai i kā mākou moʻolelo. (Hello everyone, and welcome to our story.) To those of you who are curious about how all of this came to be, we hope this short moʻolelo (story) sheds some light.
Why All Love Kō? In short, the answer is Kahiau Hill. For those of you who may not know, Kahiau means to give generously with the heart and not with the expectation of return. Within the Hawaiian culture, a name is much more than just a word to be referred to. We receive our name with much thought and prayer, as the name you carry has a lot of MANA (POWER).
On March 18, 2004, the newest member of the Sadang-Hill Ohana was born, Kahiau Kamuliwai Hill. Little did anyone know how much weight our Kahiau’s name would carry. While born and raised on the island of Maui, Kahiau shares deep connections from the peaks of Haleakalā to the west end of Mauna Kahālāwai. Without stopping there, Kahiau spent half of junior high in Layton, Utah. But just like a lot of kids who move away from Hawaiʻi, he eventually came back home. Before we knew it, our Maui boy graduated a whole year early from Lahainaluna High School with the class of 2021! (and we couldnʻt be any prouder:))
However, along with graduating comes the endless questions of the future, and this was one of the most challenging aspects for Kahiau. To his favor, he was naturally good at everything and anything he put his mind to. But, he needed something that made the best use of his time and utilized his best abilities all without leaving him feeling bored, disappointed, or unfulfilled. With all of his many growing talents and ever-changing plans, he finally decided what he was going to do.
From little sketches and doodles in notebooks to spending weeks and even months on pieces, Kahiau became more and more serious about becoming a designer. Then one day, the world stopped. At least that’s what it felt like. In May of 2021, we received the worst news we could ever get. Ua hele aku ko mākou Kahiau i ka lani nui. This loss was very sudden and overall heart-shattering. The closest people to Kahiau quickly became lost, confused, sad, and angry, and it felt as if he was watching it all unfold. Feeling completely hopeless, we started looking for answers, signs, or pretty much anything from Kahiau. As a family, looking through past pictures, videos, and messages brought us a sort of comfort but when we got to his many sketchbooks, we found so much more than that. The first sketch that stood out to us was his numerous drawings of the words ʻAll Love’ in his notebooks. The point was very clear. It is, always has been, and will forever be, all love. Kahiau is and will always be remembered as the boy with the best smile, big ambitions, and the biggest heart. HE is ʻALL LOVE.’
It may be that Kahiau is not physically here to carry out his dreams of becoming known for his artwork and designs, but that is why we are. He has become our purpose. The Hawaiian translation of the word Kō is to fulfill and with our brand, All Love Kō, we are fulfilling the spirit of Kahiau. All Love Kō is our platform that will be bringing the blueprint of Kahiau’s dreams, into reality. Time wasn’t in our favor this time around, but the thing about artists is that as their art lives on, so do they.
All Love Kō, is Kahiau, for Kahiau, designed by Kahiau. We are so privileged to have spent the time we did with Kahiau, and now it is time for us to share him with all of you. After all, “THE WLRD IS YOURS.”