Aloha TPC Ohana, my name is Willow and I’m one of the founders of The Pineapple Collective. I’m currently in ninth grade at Punahou School. My life right now is a mix of school, dance, friends, family, and working on our brand.
Outside of school I love dancing, going to the beach, shopping, hanging out with my friends, and going on lunch or matcha dates with my mom. I also like filming GRWM videos, which stands for “Get Ready With Me.” I film them all the time but honestly I don’t usually end up posting them. Sometimes it’s just fun to film them for myself.
Growing up in Hawaiʻi is something that I feel really lucky about. To me it means long beach days that end with Foodland poke and shave ice. It also means going on drives around the island looking for the best places to find shells. Some of my favorite things about living here are the culture and how welcoming people are. The sense of community here is really special. It feels like everyone looks out for each other and that we’re all one big family.
One of the biggest parts of my life is dance. I’ve been dancing since I was really young and it’s something I truly love. Through dance I’ve made some of my closest friends. It’s also taught me a lot of important life lessons like patience, discipline, and perseverance. Dance has helped shape who I am and it continues to be something that motivates me every day.
If you asked my friends to describe me they would probably say that I’m outgoing, funny, and honest. I’m the friend who will always tell you the truth but also the one who is always trying to make people laugh. I love being around my friends and making fun memories together.
When I think about the future, one of my biggest goals is to travel more and experience different places around the world. One place I really want to visit is Paris because I want to experience life like Emily in Paris. I also want to explore more parts of Japan, especially colder areas where I can learn how to ski. Later in life I hope to be successful, have a family, and be able to show my kids the world through travel.
The Pineapple Collective actually started in a pretty funny way. Brooke and I originally started it to help fundraise for a Disneyland trip. Once we started working on it though, we realized it could become something much bigger. We were learning so much through the process and decided we wanted to keep going and see how far we could take it.
Building a brand while being in high school has definitely been an experience. And yes, sometimes it’s interesting having your mom as your boss. I’m kind of joking but also kind of serious. It can definitely challenge our relationship sometimes, but in a good way. It has actually made us closer and stronger. Being an entrepreneur while still in high school is something I really enjoy and I’m grateful for the experience. I feel like it’s teaching me so many things that you can’t learn in a classroom.
Brooke and I bring the Gen Z perspective to the brand. Since we spend a lot of time on social media we usually know what trends are popular and what people our age like to see. We help oversee parts of our social media and we also help make final decisions on designs. And honestly, sometimes we think we know what’s cool a little better than our moms.
One of my favorite things about being a founder of The Pineapple Collective is seeing how it has inspired other young people to start their own businesses. That’s something that makes me really proud. I also love doing pop up events where we get to meet people in person and connect with our community. Seeing people support something we created is an amazing feeling.
And to be completely honest, making sales is also really motivating. At the end of the day that’s part of building a business and it’s exciting to see people actually buying and enjoying what we create.
Right now my favorite piece from the brand is actually something that hasn’t been released yet. It’s our Aloha Cooler. I love the print and it gives off such fun summer vibes. I’ve been really missing summer lately so I’m excited for everyone to see it.
Stay tuned. It’s coming soon.
