KAVA ROOTS MISSION

Kava Roots is a brand that advocates all Pacific cultures as one Nation with a common origin.

Promoting the roots and traditions of each, instead of the repetitive stereotypes that are commonly used and often misunderstood.

Over the last century, division among endless similarities has been the prime inhibitor in re-establishing the largest Nation on the Planet.

This is a brand designed to RECONNECT the collective consciousness of Oceania.

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STEPHEN KOA KAKAIO

Born in the eighties in the South Bay Area of California, Stephen Koa Kakaio began displaying his Illustration skills at a young age. He would observe his neighbor who was an artist but besides that, he was self-taught until his early twenties when he attended art school. 

When he was 7 yrs old, his grandfather had opened his eyes to the world of Hawaiian artist Herb Kawainui Kane who would shape his art for the rest of his life. Leading him on a path to receive an Associates degree in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of California, He has become most proficient with Pencil & Ink illustrations, acrylic paints & digital art on a range of software platforms such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Sketchbook Pro with a main focus on the Human Anatomy. 

Now, following his grandfather, Stephen Koa has moved back to Molokai to raise a family with the goals of establishing his business (KAVA ROOTS), his career as an artist/graphic designer & to complete his graphic novel series on the historic accounts of Hawai’i’s last warrior king, Kamehameha the I. Recent Graphic Design clients include a variety of local companies and musicians Including Jordan T and Hawaiian Soljah. In July of 2019, his art was featured in a main headliner section of the Honolulu Star Advertiser & earlier that year he completed a commissioned project entitled “Hawaiian Trading Cards” which eventually headlined the same section of the HNL Star Advertiser later that year. The first in a series of trading cards geared towards educating Hawaii’s youth on the Kings & chiefs that shaped the history of Hawaii. These cards, along with his brand “KAVA ROOTS”, are both sold in the store “Homegrown” at Pearlridge Mall on Oahu & also online.

When you really get a chance to experience his work, the cultural value & human emotion of the time periods he’s expressing are powerful and constant, being close to his roots on Molokai has only excelled that factor.