Meleina Hancock is a textile designer born and based in Hawaiʻi. Her island roots are woven into her work and design style, as organic shapes and elements of the natural world take shape in her fluid, painterly hand.

Meleina's creative energy drove her to San Francisco to study fashion at the Academy of Art University, where she acquired her BFA in textile design in 2010. Through nine years as a professional textile designer with brands like Levi’s and Tea Collection, she developed a serious side-interest in indigo dyeing. Her devotion to craft led her to travels in Japan for intensive shibori studies with a master dyer, and through her experiences there grew a renewed appreciation for hand-crafted arts.

In 2018, Meleina returned to Hawaiʻi and launched her own clothing line, ʻOkika Cloth, featuring bold, nature-inspired patterns and indigo shibori, which she screen prints and dyes by hand on the North Shore of O‘ahu.

When she’s not arms deep in indigo or sketching out new print ideas, you might find Meleina nurturing her green thumb and propagating plants, engrossed in a woodcrafting furniture project, or just enjoying a nice warm day at the beach.

You can reach out to Meleina for project commissions and freelance opportunities via the contact page.