MixMix was founded in October of 2007 by Fumihiro Nakamura in Downtown Honolulu at the intersection of Bethel and Pauahi. Disapointed by the lack of genuine alternatives to the commercial fashion monoculture that saturates the marketplace, MixMix’s vision was to make clothing by the most significant names in fashion finally accessible to the people of Honolulu. What qualified as significant was conceived of along three axis: particularity, obscurity, and purity. Only by extension in this three dimensional ideal-space did a designer qualify to be presented.
Once a month the boutique would partake in the First Friday downtown arts festival by opening their shop doors beyond reasonable hours to rally up reclusive fashionistas and expose curious patrons to the more creative dimensions of clothing. To compliment the progressive character of the evening booze, music, and various other works of art/media were also made available.
In May of 2008 a second location was opened on the periphery of the Ala Moana mall complex at Kapiolani Blvd. The idea behind the new shop was to be a beacon of hope for weary shoppers frustrated by the homogeneity of mall brands. Both locations remained open for some time until the end of 2008 when it was decided that they would consolidate the two locations and expand their range of designers.
