Via. Hermes to the left and Bloomies in front. Growing up, this area was a Sears and a parking lot
Growing up in Honolulu, about a 10-15 minute drive from Ala Moana, I never realized how blessed I was when it came to luxury stores. I never paid much attention to them since I used to view those shops as for the tourists only, and my serious love for designer brands didn’t really blossom until after I graduated from college (though I did get my first Coach and Gucci bags in high school from Ala Moana). Now whenever I go back to my hometown I wish I had taken advantage of these shops for tourists earlier 😂. And not everyone may know this but some luxury brands offer a “Hawaii price” that’s cheaper than the Mainland (that’s the continental US) price. This is so that the prices are more comparable to prices in Asia (and thus more tempting to Asian tourists who usually make up a large portion of the customers buying luxury in Hawaii). Anyway not all brands do this and the following list (in alphabetical order) details which of them do (or don’t) and what percentage is offered. And even for the brands that don’t offer a discount, sales tax in Hawaii is 4.5% so at the very least you might save some money on tax (at least compared to CA).
Via. Luxury row on Kalakaua
I also wanted to note that on the island of Oahu, there are two places to buy luxury items: Ala Moana (the main mall) and “Luxury Row” on Kalakaua Ave. in Waikiki. Some brands have outposts in both locations, while others are located in just one. The Waikiki stores are usually a tad bigger and may offer more, but the selection varies. If you can, I recommend visiting both stores if there are two on the island. If you have to choose only one, I’d go with Ala Moana (but that’s just my personal preference—as an ex-local, Waikiki to me is more inconvenient because the parking is a hassle. But of course if you’re staying at a hotel in Waikiki, that location may make more sense).
And last but not least, this list is not comprehensive nor do I have experiences at all these brands. Policies also change so what is true now might not be later. I will try to update it periodically to keep it relevant, but if you have gone to Honolulu recently and have updated intel please let me know so I can be as accurate as I can, thanks! (Also if I’ve missed a brand here that you feel should be listed, let me know). And lastly the best way to know exactly how much you will be saving on a particular item is by just calling up the store to ask.
Balenciaga
Though I haven’t shopped Balenciaga in awhile, there’s a shop in Ala Moana as well as Waikiki, and it looks like they give a 10% discount on most items.
Bottega Veneta
There’s a Bottega both in Ala Moana and in Waikiki, but I’ve only shopped at the Ala Moana location. The customer service was very attentive and prices were about 15-20% off on most items. April 2025 Update: The small Andiamo was priced at $3840 (from $4500 mainland price), the small Andiamo Parachute at $3530 ($4150), the Bang Bang at $2210 (from $2600), and the Dust bag at $1600 (from $2000). There is a lifetime care warranty on the Andiamo, the Hopp, and the Cabas (their most expensive items are under a warranty that allows you to bring it back to a Bottega store to fix at anytime).
Burberry
Theres stores in both Ala Moana and Waikiki and it looks like they give a 10% discount.
Bvlgari
There’s a Bvlgari in Ala Moana and they give a 10% discount on most items.
Cartier
There’s a Cartier in Ala Moana and I’ve had a great experience shopping with them pre-pandemic. Though there’s no Hawaii discount, I did save some money on the tax.
Celine
There’s an Ala Moana location that gives a varied discount. When I browsed there last, it was about $200 off their bags but I think the discount varies per item. April 2025 Update: I took a look at their small Heloise in leather, which was $2950 (no discount) and the new Camille 16, which was $2850 (a $100 discount from mainland US prices).
Chanel
There’s a Chanel both in Ala Moana and Waikiki, and as far as I know they don’t give a Hawaii discount so you’re only saving on taxes.
Coach
[April 2025 addition]. Coach is having a bit of a renaissance these days so I thought I would stop in and see what their prices were. I was especially interested in trying out their Empire bags (both the 34 and the 28). I will review what I thought of them soon and link it here, but sadly there’s no discount on their most popular items like the Empire line. So you’re only saving on tax.
Dior
Dior is also located in both Ala Moana and Waikiki though I haven’t shopped at either. Discounts supposedly run 5-11% on some items (but not all). [October 2024 intel (thanks H!): Pricing varies by item but most of the higher priced items do not have a discount.]
Fendi
Both the Ala Moana and Waikiki locations give about 10-20% off leather goods.
Gucci
Both the Ala Moana and Waikiki locations give about 10% off leather goods. {October 2024 intel (thanks H!): Only certain items have Hawaii pricing, which already has the 10% off as the list price.}
Hermes
There are three Hermes in Honolulu: Ala Moana, Waikiki, and the airport (I have no experience at this store). I have shopped at both the Ala Moana and Waikiki ones and I have chosen to go to the Waikiki one because I found a great SA there. The Waikiki location is also bigger and gets more in stock, however they’re also more popular and sell more stock. So what’s available really depends on luck and timing. If you’re looking for a particular item, I say go to both. I’ve learned that one location can not (will not?) check the stock of the other. And sadly, there are no discounts at Hermes so at most you’ll be saving on tax. (P.S. If you find a great SA and go back to Hawaii periodically, let me just say they love Trader Joe’s in Hawaii since it’s something unique to the Mainland 😉.)
Loewe
I’ve purchased several items from the Ala Moana location and I have to say I love the people there (Olin, Naoko, and Randy are my favorites). They’re so friendly and just love to talk shop. I’ve never felt pressured to purchase anything and they provide superb customer service. They’ve even offered me water just for purchasing one charm lol (vs Hermes where I had to ask for water even when purchasing a $2k+ wallet). The pricing is usually around 10-15% cheaper so I pay a couple hundred dollars less when buying a bag (my mini Flamenco at the time was going for $1900 and I got it for $1700). April 2025 Update: I went there for a quick visit and Randy was nice enough to condition my black small Puzzle for me while I browsed. He just surprised me out of the blue and I didn’t even know it was a service they provided. Current prices are as follows: Medium New Flamenco (the one with the donut chain) was $3350 (from $3900 mainland price), and Small Featherlight Puzzle was $3900 (from $4500). The Madrid bag had just released while I was there and they didn’t have any in stock. It was something that needed to be requested and sent over from a mainland boutique, and it was priced at $4500 (from $4990). I did a little video of my try-on at Loewe in Hawaii here.
Louis Vuitton
There are three Louis Vuitton stores on Oahu, one in Ala Moana and two in Waikiki. I haven’t shopped at LV in a long time so I don’t have any recent personal experiences at the stores but I know there used to be a discount. From what I gather on the internet, the pricing is now about 2-3% cheaper if that and varies for each item. I think if you’re interested in a particular item, your best bet is to call the store and inquire. April 2025 Update: So I went in to inquire and was told that the price increase in 2024 affected LV Hawaii prices the most, such that most items are no longer less than mainland US prices. I saw their current Biker bag (which didn’t havve a discount), and their monogram Camille bag (which was $100 cheaper in Hawaii).
Miu Miu
There are two stores on Oahu, one in Ala Moana and one in Waikiki. I’ve never shopped at either but from what I gather on the internet there’s a 5-10% discount on ready-to-wear and a 5% discount on select bags and shoes (as of 2022 so not sure if it’s still like this). April 2025: The Miu Miu store in Ala Moana is currently under construction.
Prada
There are three Prada store on Oahu, a seperate mens and womens stores in Ala Moana and another Prada location in Waikiki. I’ve also not shopped at Prada for a long time but from what I gather it’s about a 10% discount from Mainland prices.
Saint Laurent
There are two store locations, Ala Moana and Waikiki. I’ve never shopped at Saint Laurent (but I did buy a bag a long time ago when it was still called YSL) but it seems like it’s a straight 10% discount across all items.
Tiffany and Co
There are two store locations, Ala Moana and Waikiki. I haven’t stopped into the Tiffany’s recently but it seems like there’s now a 8% discount on most items since 2023.
Valextra
There are few Valextra stores to begin with so it’s a treat to visit the store in Ala Moana. I just love their layout and the way they display their goods. But I’ve never purchased from their store (the one Valextra bag I have was from Matches back in the day), and as far as I know there aren’t any discounts. April 2025 Update: So I did purchase a couple items on this trip, the Mochi Pouch bag for $1300 (from $1550 mainland price) and a sunglasses case for $410 (from $530). Other prices I gathered for 2025 were the Medium Iside for $3600 (from $4550 mainland price), the Small Iside for $3300 (from $4200), and the Mini Iside for $2980 (from $3850). So it’s a 15-22% discount when purchasing Valextra in Hawaii (which I learned is actually a branch of Valextra Japan). I love my Valextra bucket bag (it’s lasted me ages), and can’t wait to add more Valextra items to my collection considering their prices are so reasonable compared to many other brands right now.
Valentino
Both the Ala Moana and Waikiki locations give about 20% off most items.