History of Havaianas

In 1907 a simple and inexpensive cloth shoe called Alpargatas, worn by coffee field workers, arrived in the country of Brazil. A company of the same name was created to make the brand name shoe locally rather then importing. In 1962 the Alpargatas Company, which was by then a renowned and traditional Brazilian company of footwear and apparel, introduced a sandal styled after the Japanese “Zori”, traditionally woven from natural fibers. These sandals, now most commoly known as flip-flops, were named havaianas (pronounced ah-vai-YAH-nas), which is Portuguese for Hawaiians, as a tribute to the era’s most glamorous holiday destination.

Post WW2 had seen an influx of innovative Asian rubber sandals into the U.S., with the return of soldiers and prisoners-of-war. The rubber was sometimes from nature, sometimes synthetic and sometimes sustainable as it was recycled from automobile tires. While this ecology-sound product must have been music to the ears of environmentalists, it was the natural and synthetic rubber footwear that caught on at the time. In the 50’s various brands of flip-flops began appearing in the cool new carnival bright colors that defined the decade. Alpargatas capitalized on this trend, as rubber was domestic and inexpensive, and developed a secret rubber formula to ensure their flip-flops stood apart as, butter-soft, comfortable, bouncy, flexible and durable. Best of all, their formula allowed the natural component of the rubber to breathe, thus producing a perspiration-free experience for the wearer, promoting foot health.

By 1965 the newly named havaianas company was mass-producing their flip-flops in the amount of 1000 pairs daily! The inexpensive footwear was still popular with workers and could often be found in neighbourhood stores where locals’ money would stretch the fartherest, next to cleaning supplies. In 1970 a publicity campaign nicknamed havaianas “the genuine ones” to separate them from less ethical, poor-quality competitors.

In 1994, in order to overcome financial crises, havaianas launched a simple, single-colored sandal called TOP, which was inspired by surfers who had begun a fad of reassembling their own flip-flops for individuality. TOPs are recognizable by the brand name and size appearing on the upside of the sandal sole, rather than the bottom of the sole as it was originally designed, with the sole being flipped before assembly to show the info on the top. A well-structured marketing scheme allowed the TOP to win over upper classes, making it a banner year for company!

In 1996 yet another marketing campaign breathed new life into the havaianas brand, reviving it as a whole and even redefining the flip-flop as elegant & unique! In 1998 special Brazil-marked havaianas were launched in celebration of Brazil’s participation in the World Soccer Cup in France. They were exceptionally well received and more new lines were developed as styles expanded. In 2000 super-models were photographed wearing havaianas flip-flops, starting a firey hot trend that lead to 2001 becoming the break through year for international export. From 2002 to 2005, international publicity followed, starting a world wide havaianas flip-fop craze!

Each new collection features cool stuff: new colors; prints; shapes; art work and even ornaments; inspired by fashion and the latest trends. And no longer just for adults, they are available in girls and boys styles too. The brand keeps inventing and innovating but always stays true to the Havaianas’ essence. Since their launch, 2.2 billion pairs of Havaianas sandals have been produced and sold throughout the world. If these sandals were laid end to end, they would go around the earth 50 times. What an adventure!