Akalei Designs Awards and Exhibitions 2026

Randy Spicocchi as Akalei Designs is a contemporary Kumihimo artist whose work explores structural expansion of traditional Japanese braiding, shaped by the cultural and physical landscape of Hawai'i. Originally trained as a quilter, he approaches Kumihimo through a sensibility rooted in pattern, repetition, and surface construction, translating textile logic into dimensional, beaded form.

Since 2016, Spicocchi has studied with leading Kumihimo instructors in the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom, developing a rigorous technical foundation in classical braid structures. His practice begins with traditional kumihimo forms and extends this through multi-braid construction, varied bead orientation, and the integration of diverse materials within a single structural system.

Living and working on Maui, Spicocchi draws inspiration from the visual and cultural presence of Hawaiian lei. Rather than replicating traditional lei-making practices, he reimagines the lei as a continuous braided structure, translating its form and layered construction into fiber and glass beads. Using thousands of beads, shells, pearls, gemstones, and lampworked elements, he constructs sculptural braids that evoke the abundance, color, and movement of island flora and ocean forms.

His work explores kumihimo as a new contemporary fiber art while maintaining adherence to its structural origins, creating pieces that extend beyond tradition into a reinterpreted connection between Hawaiian Lei and Japanese Kumihimo..

Selected Exhibitions & Awards

Glass Craft and Bead Expo – Gallery of Excellence – First Prize Winner Professional Division Jewelry, Ocean Petal Lei Kumihimo Necklace Lei with Aja Vaz Lamp Work Bead (April, 2026).

Praxis Fiber Workshop Exhibition - "Threads of Mastery: An Exhibition of Narrow-ware Textile Artistry" American Kumihimo Society. Two Juried Entries: Island Divergence (Pink & Green Beaded Lei) and Metallic Fiber Trilogy - Emerald Coral (May 1 – June 7, 2026). 

Hui No'eau Visual Arts Exhibition (Two Paths, One Line — Beaded Kumihimo with glass focal by Aja Vaz; structures include kaku yatsu and oimatsu on marudai.( 2026)

American Kumihimo Society Annual Gathering, San Francisco, CA. Best Beaded Lanyard Award.(2023)

Hawai'i Handweavers Hui Juried Exhibition, Honolulu,HI. Surrounded by Water — Three Continuous Beaded Sea Life Designs. Braided multiple structures using oimatsu and kongoh gumi techniques on marudai and disk. (2022)