As Kamalani Pico, one of the eight friends starring in Peacock’s new reality television series “Oʻahu Shores,” took the red carpet with her co-stars, there were the typical flashing cameras and stylish poses. But there was also an unusual gift for Pico, who grew up on Molokai. From the crowd, filmmaker and actor Valen Ahlo handed the reality television star a bag of Molokai sweet bread from Kanemitsu Bakery which, he said, came over on an outrigger canoe that morning as part of the Molokai Hoe.
“Oʻahu Shores” features eight friends, including Pico, and premiered Oct. 9. The entire first season, which consists of six episodes, was released that day. The friends came together for a red carpet premiere at Dave & Buster’s on Sunday, Oct. 12.
Pico grew up wrestling and boxing. Her parents wanted her to follow in the steps of her older sister, who was an All-American wrestler and national champion, she said. Pico had offers to wrestle in Iowa and Oregon. But she wanted glam.
“It’s crazy because people from Molokai — it’s crazy seeing me being so glam,” she said. “They're like: ʻWait what? She’s a wrestler. She’s boss. She had steers. She had pigs. She had goats.’ They did not even see me in this light.”
“But then people on Oʻahu, they are mind blown when they're like: ‘Whoa! She’s a country girl!,’ ’’ she said. “ ‘She hunts. She fishes.’ They didn’t believe me, because I’m so glam. It’s such a crazy place to be both. The glam side — and that total local girl, country/farmer girl side.”
Pico’s love of glam started young. When she was still a teenager, she once skipped school and used her savings from the sale of 4-H livestock to buy a ticket to Oʻahu so she could go to a casting. After watching the agent throw her paper in the trash, she cried.
“I was so excited,” she said. “I worked so hard to get there. I spent all my money. I was only a kid.”
She found a mentor in Paulele Alcon, the owner of Hawaiʻi’s Finest, an apparel brand that got its start on Molokai.
“My biggest inspiration is Paulele Alcon, the owner of Hawaiʻi’s Finest,” she said. “He is from the island of Molokai. He has come such a long way in his journey of fashion. He got me into modeling and really pushed me to pursue my dreams.”
Eventually, she participated in Fashion Week Hawaiʻi, where she walked for Manaola. She was scouted by agents and signed with a modeling agency. The agency’s owner, Lashauna Downie, was just starting Bliss Models and Talent. Pico’s first job with that agency was for an MTV music video.
“She got me with Estée Lauder,” she said. “And from there, just every little thing led me to where I am today.”
Today, Pico is the owner of her own clothing line, Ssavvy, which launched in 2021.
“How it started was I hunt, fish, dive ... and there was not a lot of female clothes [for that], so I was wearing a lot of men clothes growing up on Molokai,” she said. “I'm such a glam girl, so I was like: ʻI need to be cute.’”
She started with a women’s line and later added clothing for men and keiki. The brand’s website includes workout clothes, swimwear and camouflage pants, among other items. Pico also started a nonprofit to make it easier for youth growing up on Molokai to pursue their dreams.
“It is an honor to be representing Molokai on a big screen,” she said. “Coming from such a small, special, sacred place, we don't have as much opportunities as most other islands. Leaving the island and pursuing my dreams inspired me to start my own nonprofit foundation, which is called the Make a Dream [Happen] Foundation by Kamalani Pico, and what I’m doing is I’m giving back to my old Molokai High School — to the students there — so they can pursue their dreams, no matter how big or what it takes.”
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
