Hawaii Home Decor Company Collaborates with Bishop Museum on Fundraising Pillowcases

Hawaiian land snail. Photo courtesy: NOHO HOME

NOHO HOME By Jalene Kanani, a home decor company, collaborated with non-profit Bishop Museum in Honolulu on Hawaiian snail-inspired pillowcases whose profits will be donated to help with the museum’s fundraising during the COVID-19 pandemic.

NOHO HOME founder Jalene Kanani toured the museum’s Malacology department last year to learn more about their live Hawaiian snail specimens and view their shell collection. The visit inspired a perpetuating initiative entitled “The MAU Collaboration,” resulting in a three-piece set of pillowcases  — the Pūpū Collection — that highlights the tiny and fragile ecosystem of extinct and endangered Hawaiian snails.

The designs, entitled Pūpū Kane Oe,  Pūpū Kuahiwi and and Kāhuli, highlight several species from three genera of Hawaiian land snails, with different conservation statuses from imperiled to extinction.

Through the end of 2020, 100% of the profits from the Pūpū Collection sales will be donated to the Bishop Museum to fund important research and to continue the education efforts surrounding our island home.

Pillow collection inspired by Hawaiian land snails at Bishop Museum.

“Bishop Museum has always been a place for local artists to find design inspiration — the museum’s vast collections of natural, as well as cultural, history and items is a cornucopia for designers,” Kanani said.

The pandemic has required many small businesses and nonprofits to pivot and consider innovative strategies and partnerships to achieve goals. Honolulu’s Bishop Museum has found new ways to tackle the daunting task of fundraising amidst multiple stay-at-home orders, including hosting its annual gala event online in the form of a virtual fundraiser and auction.

“It was a natural decision to use our medium, artful home decor, to share this important work, and the story of environmental conservation through design,” Kanani said. “Our intention is to spark conversation about our island’s biodiversity and, in the process, share new insight about one of our community’s greatest treasures, Bishop Museum.”

The Pūpū Collection is now available online through the NOHO HOME e-commerce website, and will soon be available on the Council of Native Hawaiian Advancement’s e-commerce platform, Pop-Up Mākeke later this month. Bishop Museum’s annual memberships also will be sold in conjunction with the Pūpū Collection.