Passengers jumped on and off the streetcar as it clambered intermittently through the streets of Prague, Czech Republic. Among them was Bud Brimberg, president of Art4Now and BayouWear. In a fleeting moment of hand gestures and broken English, a man excitedly showed off his New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 1998’s Red Beans & Rice HowAhYa! Shirt.
That was the day Brimberg realized how fully his BayouWear clothing had been embraced.
Brimberg, the maker of the official New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival collectible posters and clothing, has been producing the HowAhYa! Shirts since 1981.
In a partnership that spans nearly 20 years, artist Kathy Schorr and Brimberg create a new and distinct fabric design that encompasses New Orleans and Louisiana culture every year, becoming within itself a collectible item or a memorabilia that music lovers take back home with them as a reminder of their New Orleans experience.
As a reflection of the 10-day cultural festival, the designs are deeply rooted in local culture, each one telling a small part of the city and state’s story – such as the popular Red Beans & Rice, Gators!, Fleur-de-Jazz, NOLA Camo, Birds of Paradise, Moonlit Magnolias and What-a-Melon.
This year Schorr’s design, Stellar! A Streetcar’s Famed Attire, incorporates the streetcar, aqua palms, and the crescent moon, finished off with nickel-tin buttons inspired by the 1919 tokens that were issued by the original New Orleans Railway & Light Co.
HowAhYa! Shirts not your style? Brimberg has expanded the clothing line beyond the signature Hawaiian style shirts to include an apron, second-line umbrella, skirts, dress and camisoles.
The clothing range does not go by unnoticed. At any given day at the festival, which in 2014 an estimated 435,000 people attended, splashes of the bright, colorful fabric design are everywhere. Beyond the festival, groomsmen incorporate the HowAhYa! Shirts into their wedding attire, and of course, it can be spotted around the world as a tourist shirt.
To get your hands on this year’s designs, or previous years, visit the BayouWear store at the Jazz Fest’s Market Place, or jump online at www.art4now.com to purchase the HowAhYa! Shirts ($49) and their other apparel and collectible posters.
