Kuhao Zane, Creative Director of Sig Zane Designs and SZKaiao comes from a generational Hula family and practice that grounds and informs his day to day career as a designer.

Zane, who studied graphic design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, was a member of PBN’s Forty Under 40 class of 2015, Hawaii Business’s 20 for the next 20 in 2019 and an active Omidyar Fellow. He’s worked with his father, company founder Sig Zane for the past 19 years, on everything from the company’s signature aloha shirts to their two Oahu locations, Sig On Smith and Kaiao_Space. Kuhao has worked with his father and Hilo design studio SZKaiao, to expand their unique approach that blends cultural values with design aesthetics. SZKaiao has worked both locally and internationally on projects that range from branding, art installations, airplane liveries and athletic uniforms.

Currently, Kuhao also serves as the president of Edith Kanakaole Foundation, a non-profit that employs his families generational cultural insight through curriculum development, site restoration and publishing. With his experiences in family business and lifelong dedication to the practices of Hula, he weaves these perspectives together with design as the vehicle to push forward.