Okihasi

Embrace the coastal lifestyle and register your support for the preservation of unique and precious marine environments with Okihasi’s Barrier Island Men’s Coastal Shirt. Barrier islands, which emerge from waters including the Gulf, would seem to be part of an intelligent design that made provision for storm buffers. This shirt is easy to care for and is crafted from lightweight, breathable material.      

The artist Walter Anderson made numerous trips to Horn Island, rowing eight miles across Mississippi Sound in a tiny boat to reach the barrier island. In 1965, he was lucky to survive his last trip to his favorite retreat, which at one time hosted a cattle farm and was now down to a single cow. “Nine days into his stay,” wrote Boyce Apholt in “The Many Voyages of Walter Anderson,” an article that appeared in The Bitter Southerner magazine, “Anderson woke to fierce winds. There was no rain, but the tide was rising — fast.” Wind and rain soon came and were “given a name: Betsy, the first hurricane in U.S. history to wreak a billion dollars in damage.” Anderson, huddled beneath his overturned boat, made it through a stormy evening, awakening to what he said looked like the “remains of an all-night debauch.” (The cow did not.) One need not go to Anderson’s extremes to appreciate the role and value of barrier islands, which develop over time as a result of winds, waves and currents. Parallel to the shore, they protect the mainland from heavy surf and hurricane-driven storm surges. In Florida, they include Shell Island, St. George Island and Perdido Key. Given their relative seclusion, they are ideal nesting sites for shorebirds and sea turtles. - Steve Bornhoft

Please see more information below about the shirt, care, and sizing.

More about the Barrier Island Ecosystem

Barrier islands are sandy islands that develop over time from the movement of sand and other sediment from wave action and other ocean forces. These islands form parallel to the mainland shoreline and create a protective barrier along the coast against strong storms, like hurricanes. 

Barrier islands also provide critical nesting grounds for many migratory birds and different sea turtle species, like the endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle. It is also an important ecosystem for Snowy Plovers and the Red Knot. You will also frequently find brown pelicans and different species of laughing gulls on these islands. Just offshore, you can also find bottlenose dolphins and the Great Hammerhead shark.  

These ecosystems have been greatly reduced by development and will be reduced even more in the future by sea level rise from ocean thermal expansion and the melting of land-based glaciers.

MATERIAL DETAILS

1. Light-weight Viscose material made from bamboo - excellent to wear on those hot days.

2. Machine wash cold  on gentle - Mild detergents - Dry Cleaning Recommended

3. Line dry

4. Iron on a medium setting - take caution when ironing

Sizing

Do not use generic sizing (S, M, L, etc). Take exact measurements of your body to get the correct size. See the sizing chart below.

Chest Size

Small - 40-43”

Medium - 43-45”

Large - 45-47”

XL - 47-51”

XXL - 52-55”

XXXL - 56-59”

Length

Small - 27.5-28.5”

Medium - 28.5-30.5”

Large - 30.5-31.5”

XL - 31.5-32.5”

XXL - 32.5”

XXXL - 32.5”

Shoulder

Small - 17-18.25”

Medium - 18-19”

Large - 19-19.75”

XL - 20.75”

XXL - 21.75”

XXXL - 22-22.5”