From shave ice to rainbows, bunches of flowers, crackseed stores – and even slippers or Hawaiian Sun cans at Long’s, Steffy Simms loves a good Hawaiʻi-inspired color pallete that inspires her latest clothing designs at Guava Jammies.
“I do love to doodle and draw. I love cute things and color,” she told Aloha State Daily.
The self-taught designer is decent with an iPad and illustrating apps Adobe and Procreate, she said. “I don’t consider myself an expert in anything, especially art because I can’t paint. I think being tenacious and industrious are two of my strengths. I pay close attention to detail, work hard and tend to jump into things headfirst.”
She added that the brand’s collection Waikīkī Winter Capsule leaned into her love for bright colors, and the palaka and puakenikeni prints as best sellers right now.
Simms began the paperwork for the business in late 2023, she said, while on maternity leave. Its first collection went live in June 2024, shortly after the birth of her son, Nazzy.
The name Guava Jammies is a nod to her family’s multi-generational home in Mānoa, which has a guava tree on property perfect for making “the best guava jam,” she said with a smile.
Simms, who also teaches physics and robotics at ʻIolani School, is the brand’s sole employee currently, though she said her husband of five years, Andrew, helps with photography and “provides the manpower for marketing.”
“I think the only reason I can make this happen is because of the support of my family,” she said. “Being able to watch my son grow up with his grandparents, with four adults in the house who love him, is just invaluable. My husband supports everything that I believe in and dream of.”
The company uses bamboo fabrics and non-toxic dying methods that are safe for wearers with sensitive skin, something Simms learned early on in motherhood when addressing her son’s eczema. “That’s kind of the origin story of Guava Jammies – we really wanted it rooted in safety and sustainability. ... We want you to love them hard and pass them down.
While looking around for products that would be safe for his skin, she found this health concern common among other families, too. “Plus, the hot, humid weather here really doesn’t help.”
That's how this "breathable alohawear so comfortable it felt like pajamas," was born, she recalled. As a slow fashion brand, manufacturing is limited and mindful of production standards, often exceeding U.S. Safety Standard Regulations, according to Simms.
She added, the best place she receives feedback about her product is out in the community at pop-ups including the Merrie Monarch Festival, Made in Hawai’i Festival, and more regularly, the Mom Made Market at Kahala Mall and Mālama Hawaiʻi Makers Market at Ala Moana Center.
In addition to online sales, Guava Jammies can also be purchased in various shops across the Islands, including The Growing Keiki in Haleʻiwa, Turquoise in Waikīkī, Banana Patch Studios on Kau’i and SCP Hilo Hotel, according to Simms. She said her customers are mostly kamaʻāina, though one of her goals is to get into stores across the east and west coasts and in Japan.
“I would love to be on every island, and we are looking at hotel chains because I think Hawaiʻi authentically represented by local brands for our tourist community and global audiences is so important.
“I’m sure the Hawaiʻi brand is worth something in the billions, but when you look up the companies that are selling poke on the continent or using the word ‘aloha,’ most of those brands are not owned by kamaʻāina or 'Kānaka Maoli.'"
“As a kamaaina with plantation settler roots,” Simms said she initially set out to create pieces that spoke to her. “I wanted to see and be able to pass down things from my childhood to my son and other families.”
Year-over-year, the company’s revenues have more than doubled from what she had in mind at the onset, she said. This year, she joined the fourth cohort of nonprofit Purple Maiʻa Foundation's accelerator Hawaiʻi FoundHer.
Looking ahead, Simms is hopeful about blending Guava Jammies with her experience as a STEM educator, collaborating with other local designers and nonprofits that serve keiki, releasing a women’s collection and continuing to grow her support network.
“If the business we to close tomorrow, that would be one of the most significant fruits of all of this labor – the network of women who are raising families and building businesses and doing it all alongside each other.”
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
