Bomb Story: In the mid 2010s, we came across the work of Hawaiian-born and Bay Area bred artist Aaron Kai. So much of Aaron's style was uniquely his but also simpatico with The Hundreds. The cartoonish waves, the heavy strokes, and the cultural references spoke to us and we embarked on the first of many collaborations over the years. Aaron Kai not only ended up a close friend of the brand's through the process, but family.| Background Story: Originating in Scotland as ""tartan,"" we now call this pattern of crisscrossed lines ""Plaid."" Growing up in Southern California during the '80s and '90s, plaid beach volleyball shorts were always in our purview, thanks to labels like Mossimo and Stüssy. When we elevated to making cut-n-sew apparel like button-ups in the early 2000s, plaids made their way into our language as a nod to both the surf culture of the West Coast and Polo's influence on the East. In fact, every plaid speaks to a different subculture. Buffalo plaids were woven into the early New York hip-hop lumberjacks. Shadow plaids on swap meet Pendletons. And The Hundreds plaids, for all.