Hawaii. Land of insufferable farmer-tanned vacationers, endless Spam recipes, and flip-flopped beauties chasing their Blue Crush dreams. And then there’s In4mation, one of the world’s most progressive streetwear boutiques – an elite clothing store that’s based in the unlikeliest of ‘hoods. Featuring only the most exclusive lines of the high-end urban arena, and also acting as its own clothing brand, In4mation has cemented its name in Retail Land, getting’ love in publications like Complex, Sportswear International, GetOn!, and Fader. So how exactly does a minimalist boutique and t-shirt line from the islands grab worldwide attention in just a matter of years? We had the same question and sat down with Todd Shimabuku, co-owner of In4mation and the guys’ newest venture, 5&a Dime Distribution…

TH: So. In4mation. Discuss.

TS: In4mation is the name of our brand and store based out of Honolulu, Hawaii.
In4mation was started after we(Ryan Arakaki, Rhandy Tambio, Todd Shimabuku) left our old retail project called Define. During our time at Define we were introduced to professional surfer Jun Jo who was recruited by clothing brand ALPHANUMERIC. A couple of others we knew, including Len Higa and Jaime Reyes, were also on A# so it was only a matter of time for us to really get to know Jun. Jun would always come by Define to see how we were, and was interested in what we were doing with the store. He saw that we had differences with our investors and asked us if we ever thought about doing a store on our own.

September of 2001 would be our last month at Define and we had made our decision in going into business on our own with a new concept for the 4 of us. Rhandy was always brainstorming and thinking of names and concepts and spitted out IN4MATION. We looked at his first logo and thought it was a perfect name for our new retail establishment and brand which would be born on April of 2002.

Okay, so the first time I heard of In4mation, it didn’t really seem to make sense to me - especially being a mainland guy. When the average kid thinks of Hawaii, they're conjuring images of Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops. How did In4mation come to be known around the world?

Are we known? I really don’t know if we are known, but we just continue to do what we love and try to stay on top of things whether it’s bringing in the latest and newest brands. We really believe in this market and being in a destination like Hawaii gives us a chance to bring the "streets" to Paradise.

I know you’re super selective about the lines you bring in the store. And accordingly, you take the time to raise brand awareness with customers by explaining the background of each label. It seems like this is what truly sets you guys apart from other boutiques – and it also evidences a true appreciation for the clothing...

Yes we are very selective with our brands. We wish we had an endless budget to bring everyone's stuff in, but we are a business and have to keep it run in an orderly fashion. We really believe the people that are behind the brands are the ones that’re making the brands sell. As for our explanation, we try to give our customer a briefing on what they are buying so they know what they are wearing. It really matters to know where your products are from and what it is about. If a t-shirt with a skull will sell to a punk rocker or a metal head or a hip hop dude we will still try to explain what the t-shirt resembles no matter what you’re involved with.


So let’s turn now to 5&a Dime. For those who don’t know, what is it exactly?

5&a Dime is a Distribution company that was started by all of us in the store. We saw that a lot of our friends had success in doing graphic work in the market of streetwear. Our friends always had little projects going, and this is where we thought to make their projects a reality...From "what if I had this as a company?" to making it a reality utilizing In4mation as its main outlet for retail.

In an industry that’s overflowing with t-shirt lines and independent brands, how are 5&a Dime's lines distinguished?

Each brand involved in the distribution has its own feel and its own market. What I imagined for 5&aDime is a roster of brands that would compete with each other to eventually make our distribution stronger as we go along.

What else is going on in your life? Any upcoming projects that you wanna shine?

As for myself…WORKING is pretty much my main priority, and of course, your occasional Heineken in the office. As for projects, we have some stuff we are working on, and please be aware of our LODOWN x In4mation t-shirt coming out real soon.

Shout outs?

I would like to shout at the devil, and everyone who has supported us over the years. Thank you all so very much and we look forward to a bright 2005.