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facilitate." And when those connections happen, as it did for the pair when they were recognized as "the Aloha girls" on the other side of the world in Italy, "it's a dream come true," says Soares. "I never thought we were going to get this big." Far from false modesty, it's understandable that she wouldn't have been able to predict that her idea would evolve into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. ough she knew for years that she wanted to go into business with her then-roommate and friend Aiu, the pair had yet to land on what they could agree was a viable concept. "I wasn't that great with money, but she worked at a bank, so I figured she was good with money. And she would laugh at me and say, 'No, I'm good with my job,'" says Soares. When the market turned, Aiu thought it was time to start thinking about a backup plan. "She called me and she asked me, 'What are your top ten ideas for a business?'" says Soares. "So I pitched her the idea of the bikini bag." W hile waiting to board a recent flight, I noticed a cheery blue bag with a wave motif resting at the feet of the woman next to me. "Is that an Aloha bag?" I asked, and she lit up, immediately launching into a story of how much she loves this bag, how many others she has, and how she's regretted not traveling with them on occasion. It struck me then, just days after interviewing Aloha Collection's co-founder Rachael Leina'ala Soares, that this exchange is precisely the vision that Soares and fellow co-founder Heather Aiu have for the bag company they created with a good idea, a few thousand dollars, and little else just over a decade ago. "I think it's so great how it's a talking point where if you see someone on the road, you can go up and say hello, because you have that in common," says Soares of the brand's unique bags. "e whole thing is [about] these more in-person connections that we're trying to Ohana in the Bag e Encinitas-based brand that puts the spirit of the islands in your hands BY DEANNA MURPHY Indulge style ranchandcoast.com 84 SEPTEMBER 2025 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE