By Gavin Arucan | Staff Writer

For many first year college students, the average day consists of attending classes, studying, and then hanging out with friends or maybe working a part time job. However, there are also some students who lead a more abnormal life outside of college. For KCC Freshman Dyllan Hipol, that means running his own fashion lines.

Since high school, Hipol has been selling various articles of clothing under the brand name Too Kawaii For Hawaii. For those who don’t know, “kawaii” is the Japanese word for “cute”, so the brand name is simply a catchier way to say “too cute for Hawaii.” Hipol was inspired to start his own business by one of his friends who already had his own clothing line. Having always been interested in fashion, Hipol would help his friend out until he developed his own designs and established Too Kawaii For Hawaii.

Hipol sells his shirts and accessories both locally and online. Most of the products have the brand name printed in a stacked formation. The font is clean and organized, making for a very simple yet elegant design. His shirts are very popular among teenagers and have quickly sold out on multiple occasions to that demographic. The biggest boom in sales occurred while Hipol attended Moanalua High School in which he sold over one hundred shirts in around two months.

While attending high school, Hipol would see “a few classmates and other students walking around school wearing [his] shirts.”

Many responsibilities come with owning a fashion business, especially after garnering such an impressive following, and Hipol found it to be an eye-opener for him.

“I’ve been dealing with money and investing that money,” said Hipol. “I have to do everything. I have to design something, make it, advertise it, and sell it.”

Despite having run Too Kawaii For Hawai‘i for two years now, Hipol still sees it as a hobby and has little intention to continue into the highly competitive fashion industry. While he also works on another “more serious” clothing brand, Too Kawaii For Hawai‘i is Hipol’s “fun” brand. Since it’s marketed mostly to teenagers, Hipol has the freedom to do whatever he wants with the brand.

Hipol will keep marketing Too Kawaii For Hawai‘i for as long as he wants to, but he admits that, now that he’s in college, it will be challenging.

“I’m not in that world of high school anymore where you kind of know everyone,” said Hipol. “I don’t have that same support I used to have.”

If you’re interested in owning one of the Too Kawaii for Hawai‘i shirts or accessories, you can visit Hipol’s website.

However, Hipol prefers to sell locally and in person. Contact him through his business Instagram @tookawaiiforhawaii.