Shannon Hiramoto is a storyteller, but instead of a pen and paper, she uses fabric and a sewing machine.

"I think even mono-lingual people speak many languages, just not so verbal. Clothing is the language of our bodies ... saying things in ways which our simple little mouths cannot," she said.

Hiramoto, 27, started her clothing line, MachineMachine, in January 2007. She set up an online shop and quickly developed a customer base.

Her clothes are stylish but comfortable, contemporary but versatile, unique but wearable — and all of it is handmade. In fact, the name MachineMachine is meant to be ironic; Hiramoto's focus is on "nonmass-produced apparel: handmade, limited, infused with aloha, thought and care."

Many of her designs incorporate vintage fabric and recycled elements that are unique to the Islands. She created a calf-length, ruffled tube dress from salvaged bon-dance sashes ($79), and a thigh-high tube dress with pockets out of a large Zippy's T-shirt (no longer for sale).

"I think I speak with a voice particular to my experience of being from Hawai'i," said the Kaua'i-born designer. "I think Hawai'i is very fashionable, but its fashion is not considered 'fashion' — like hula wear. Even though I don't dance hula, I get a lot of inspiration from hula wear."

The gathered waistband of her pa'u shorts ($55) resembles that of the classic pa'u skirt worn by hula dancers, and the silhouette of her high-waisted ti-leaf skirt ($79) was cut to resemble, well, ti-leaves.

'BUY SUSTAINABLE'

Hiramoto works out of her home in Makiki, which is overrun with "stacks and boxes and bolts of fabric in every corner and cabinet," and sews on a 1952 cast iron Singer sewing machine given to her by her grandmother (it's one of three sewing machines she owns). It rests on one end of a large, yellow, custom-made table built by her father.

She is one of the approximately 160,000 sellers on Etsy, an online marketplace that features handmade items — everything from art and jewelry to lingerie and swimsuits — made by sellers worldwide.

"Her clothing is just such a fun addition to my closet," said Rachelle Snopko, a 33-year-old teacher from Washington, Ill., who discovered Hiramoto's online store when a MachineMachine dress was featured on Etsy's homepage. She subsequently ordered two custom-made skirts.

"I'm not a size 2 girl, but more of a medium build," she added. "(Hiramoto) was great about customizing the size and adding length so I could wear my skirt to work."

Hiramoto credits the success of her business — MachineMachine is her full-time job — to the Internet and the growing desire to live sustainably.

"People are becoming more aware of the push to go green. They're becoming more aware of where the things they buy are made," she said. "They want to know more about the item they are buying, and I think when they know about the item they're buying, when they know there's an actual person out there who made it, they will treasure it more. In my mind it's a natural progression of wanting to buy sustainable."

This is certainly true for Rhoda Cohen, 32, of Honolulu, who bought a black faux lei dress ($65) from Hiramoto's Etsy shop in June.

"It's really important to me to support local crafters," said Cohen, who is a member of the Pacific Crafters' Guild and runs her own online shop at www.rhodaj.etsy.com. "I think they put more time and care into what they make. Since I've been selling my stuff at craft fairs for the past five or six years, I know how much time and effort goes into handmade."

The Internet for the most part made it easier for independent designers like Hiramoto to find an audience for their wares.

"That's what's so great about the Internet," Hiramoto said. "So much of my sales are international orders. It is cool to know that my clothes are all over the planet right now. I couldn't have accomplished that if I was trying to do this just locally."

During her first year in business, Hiramoto has sold 360 items and made about $16,000. Two of her outlets are boutiques in San Francisco and Boston, whose owners approached her after finding her online shop.

Keara Sexton, 20, the owner of Oak (an acronym for one-of-a-kind) in Boston, says Hiramoto's apparel has an appeal that reaches beyond the Islands.

"Her clothing is fun and summery and perfect for the hot, muggy summers of Boston," she said. "Although Boston is a very fast and busy city, very different from anywhere in Hawai'i ... the clothes have been very well received. (The summers) are muggy (with) wet heat and people are looking to stay cool, and her clothing is perfect.

"I have two specific customers that come in and say, 'Anything new from MachineMachine?' " she added.

Establishing herself online has also helped Hiramoto garner sales at home, according to Summer Vaimaono, 27, the owner of Soleil Boutique, an independent store that stocks MachineMachine as well as clothes by local designers such as Roberta Oaks and Kealo Piko.

"I was really surprised, because so many people who came in said, 'Ooh, you carry MachineMachine,' " Vaimaono said. "They recognized her from Etsy. At least four or five people had ordered from her online before."

Soleil Boutique began carrying MachineMachine about a month ago and has already sold half of its initial wholesale order of seven dresses, five skirts and a few pairs of shorts, Vaimaono said.

"Usually with a new designer, it takes a few months to introduce them to the public," she added.

FROM SEWING TO SALES

Hiramoto, who majored in printmaking, hadn't planned on becoming a fashion designer.

Although her grandmother had taught her to sew when she was a teenager, Hiramoto didn't consider sewing a professional skill until she temporarily moved back to Kaua'i when her grandfather became ill in December 2006.

"Back on Kaua'i, I found myself hanging out with Grandpa all day every day, and figured I might as well do some creative things," Hiramoto said.

She found herself sitting at the sewing machine her grandmother had given her (the same one she continues to use today). The seeds of what would become MachineMachine were planted.

"It started out really small," Hiramoto said. "I would make stuff for myself and for some of my friends.

"All of this is very much a story of my grandparents and their immense importance as far as being the significant forces that guide me," she added.

She eventually bought a serger — a machine that professionally finishes seams — and decided to open MachineMachine. She sewed a few garments, grabbed a camera and arranged photo shoots of herself modeling her clothes in her grandma's backyard on Kaua'i.

Since moving back to O'ahu, Hiramoto has kept MachineMachine small, continuing to do the design, sewing and marketing herself.

Because she never had formal training in clothing design, she has a different approach to fashion.

"When you want to be a writer, people say, 'Write what you know.' Well, I try to sew what I know. I figure out what I'm able to make and I make it. There are a lot of things I don't know how to do yet. I'm always looking at clothes and asking myself, 'How did they do that?' I'm always asking my friends to inside-out their shirts because I want to know how it was made," she added.

Learning to run a business has been a challenge, particularly keeping track of materials and time so she can factor them into the price of each piece. "If I make something that's completely one-of-a-kind, I do think that changes the value and I will charge a little more for that," she said.

Hiramoto's future plans include getting MachineMachine into about 20 local boutiques and designing her own line of fabric.

But even as she looks forward to MachineMachine's continued growth, she is adamant about remaining independent.

"I don't want this to be about mass production and standardizing the way everything is made," she said.

For now, she added, she is happy to go with the flow.

"It seems to be on its own trajectory right now. I let it do its thing, don't force it. That seems to be working."

Freelance writer Karen A. Iwamoto was born and raised on the Big Island. She currently lives and writes in New Mexico.