Fragrant flower lei, synonymous with Hawaii, face competition from cheaper imports

The colorful purple lei draped around tourists’ necks in Hawaii likely traveled farther to reach the islands than the visitors themselves. Despite being an iconic symbol of Hawaiian culture, the majority of these orchid garlands are now imported from Thailand, where production costs are significantly lower.

This growing reliance on imported flowers has sparked concern among Hawaiian lawmakers and cultural advocates who are pushing for greater support of locally grown, fragrant lei flowers that have deeper cultural significance.

“You don’t come to Hawaii and not at least have a flower or a lei,” said Kuhio Lewis, CEO of the Hawaiian Council, a nonprofit promoting Native Hawaiian culture and business. “For us to now be importing is not good. It’s actually embarrassing.”

Lei have profound cultural importance in Hawaii. Traditionally used in ceremonies and everyday life by Hawaiians across social hierarchies, from chiefs to children, these garlands represent love and the spirit of “aloha.” Today, lei remain central to many celebrations including birthdays, promotions, and graduations, where recipients are often adorned with so many garlands that their faces gradually disappear behind rising walls of flowers.

State Rep. Darius Kila, who is Native Hawaiian, explains the cultural significance: “We always are looking for ways that we can honor people through our Indigenous cultures, which is giving lei.”

Earlier this year, Kila sponsored a bill, requested by the Hawaiian Council, that would have required state officials to purchase a certain percentage of lei containing locally grown flowers. The legislation also aimed to implement labeling requirements disclosing where flowers originated. While this specific measure failed, a related Senate bill remains under consideration. The surviving legislation would establish a work group to study whether local growers and lei-makers can meet increasing demand and recommend protections for the local industry.

“The growing commercialization of lei and lei materials has led to increased use of imported plant materials and manufactured components that are marketed using Hawaiian language, imagery, and place names,” the Senate bill states, adding that such practices “may mislead consumers and undermine local growers, lei makers, and cultural practitioners.”

The shift toward imported flowers mirrors Hawaii’s tourism and population growth throughout the 20th century. As demand soared, lei-makers incorporated non-native ornamental plants like carnations and jasmine. Today, these remain among the most popular flowers used in lei.

Kila has established strict guidelines for himself and his staff: “I really try not for us to give out orchid lei, specifically the purple Thailand orchid lei.” When shopping for lei in Honolulu’s Chinatown, where numerous lei stands and flower shops operate, he specifically seeks out non-native but locally grown flowers like puakenikeni, ginger, and tuberose, which offer varying degrees of sweet, jasmine-like fragrance.

Francis Wong, owner of Jenny’s Lei and Flowers in Chinatown, notes that pikake, a type of jasmine, is considered “the top flower in Hawaii.” Wong typically sources these aromatic white flowers from a farm in Nanakuli, though seasonal winter shortages can occur. To provide customers with more affordable options, especially when local supplies are limited, Wong also sells imported Thailand orchids.

However, some industry professionals worry that restrictions on imported flowers could significantly increase prices, potentially limiting access to a cultural tradition. Monty Pereira, general manager of Watanabe Floral, Hawaii’s largest florist, opposed Kila’s bill on purchasing requirements for state agencies, arguing it might unintentionally reduce overall lei usage rather than strengthen the industry.

“If like 30 lei stands and florists are fighting for the same lei, that’s when lei is going to start to be $100, $150, $200,” Pereira explained. He noted that last Mother’s Day, a three-strand pikake lei was priced at $150. Pereira, who is Native Hawaiian himself, expressed concern that increasingly expensive floral lei might push more people toward non-traditional alternatives made with candy or ribbons—a trend already common at graduations.

“The bigger threat is making it so expensive that the people of Hawaii cannot afford to enjoy something that’s culturally significant to us,” Pereira said.

The debate reflects broader tensions between preserving cultural authenticity and managing economic realities in Hawaii’s unique marketplace, where tourism dominates the economy while simultaneously creating pressures on local traditions and practices.