Havaianas

Havaianas is a brand of flip-flop sandals created by Scotsman Robert Fraser in 1962. It is currently owned by Brazilian manufacturing company Alpargatas. Inspired by Japanese zōri sandals, Fraser became the first to produce flip flops out of rubber. The name Havaianas is derived from the Portuguese word for Hawaiians, and the pattern on the soles of the sandals is designed to resemble the straw soles of zōri. Originally, all Havaianas featured white insoles with colored outsoles and straps. Because of their simplicity and low price, the sandals became popular with Brazil's lowest social classes. A fashion trend starting in the 1990s involved inverting the sole to make the coloured outsole face upwards, creating the appearance of a monochrome sandal. In response, Havaianas released a new line of eight one-colour sandals called Havaianas Top in 1994. Citizens of higher social classes then began to wear Havaianas. In 1998, with the impending FIFA World Cup in France, Havaianas introduced a line of flip-flops featuring a small Brazilian flag on the strap to show support of the Brazilian team. Havaianas flip-flops are the most popular in the world, with 150 million pairs being made every year.