Havaianas steps up flip-flop culture

The evolution of the flip-flops is nothing short of phenomenal.

Formerly confined to the most laid-back of settings like the home and the beach, the flip-flops (otherwise known as thongs, rubber slippers, go-aheads or colloquially-termed in the country as tsinelas) are seemingly seeing more action these days than enclosed shoes, especially among teens and young adults.  

A pair of flip-flops is now regarded as a requisite in every fashionista’s wardrobe with its prestige heightened via exposure on international runways and the red carpet. In fact, its impact on the fashion industry is often equated to the cultural shift that followed when the American invention, blue jeans, was finally introduced to the public in the late 1800’s. 

Recently, Brazil’s arguably most popular export Havaianas, which has prided itself as “the world’s best rubber flip-flop,” further reinforced its presence in Cebu with the second staging of the “Make Your Own Havaianas” event at Ayala Center Cebu. The successful turnout at the week-long event, which was also held in Manila and will soon hit Bacolod this coming November, is proof of how these Brazilian-made flip-flops have secured the patronage of Cebuanos.

There’s no authenticated history of the beginnings of flip-flops—although it is widely believed that they have evolved from the Japanese woven or wooden soled sandals. Havaianas, on other hand, has chalked up more than four decades of existence and manufactured over 2 billion pairs to date. It has been said that the number of Havaianas sold since it made its first appearance can already circle the globe 50 times. 

Havaianas reached Philippine shores on 2003—and by 2005, it arrived in Cebu, thanks to the enterprising initiative and pulse for hot fashion of young entrepreneurs Aimil Sarmiento and Leanne Florendo. Their company A.L. Amizade Marketing Inc. (Amizade) is the sole sub-distributor of the brand for Central and Eastern Visayas. According to Leanne, the brand has already sold “tens of thousands” of pairs in the Visayas alone. 

Explains Leanne in an interview with The Freeman, “The brand is a match with the culture of Cebu. It’s not difficult to convince Cebuanos that it’s okay to wear Havaianas when they go to coffee shops or malls, watch a movie, and have dinner at a restaurant. That’s how we are Cebuanos—we like to dress up but we like it casual and relaxed. We’re after comfort, so that’s why it’s very easy for Havaianas to break into our area.”

Leanne stresses that Havaianas is all about quality. “When I first heard of Havaianas I wondered why it was pricey for a pair of slippers. But when I got to try it, it was really worth it,” admits Leanne of past qualms that used to keep her from owning a pair of Havaianas. Her affair with the Havaianas took off after a friend gave her a pair as a gift—then there was no turning back.

Each flip-flop is 90 percent hand-made, with its “perfect softness,” as Leanne proudly notes, courtesy of the meticulous effort and considerable time spent in “baking” it. Like other well-known global food brands that bear their own secret recipes, only a few chemists know of the “secret rubber formula” of Havaianas that spurred scores of inferior imitations.

Of course, Leanne is aware that flip-flops also have been drawing its share of flak. The rate it is going in terms of everyday-everywhere usage has sparked some debate over what defines as proper attire. In the US, when some members of the Northwestern University Lacrosse team wore flip-flops when they went to the White House to meet US president George W. Bush, it courted high-profile controversy, with critics slamming their “sandal-ous behaviour.”

To this, Leanne agrees. “There is such a thing as flip-flop etiquette. When it’s a formal affair, don’t attend in flip-flops—unless you go for the fully crystallized pair or those that are thoroughly embellished if not elevated.” 

Nevertheless, it’s not hard to see that flip-flops are fast-gaining acceptance—maybe not exactly in formal occasions but at least in social gatherings that require one to be dressier—because of their versatility and the variations they have spawned. Now, it is also possible to have a pair with metallic finishes, trappings like jewellery and beading as well as heels, wedges and slides as alternative to flat soles. In fact, during the “Make Your Own Havaianas” event, Cebuanos had the chance to mix and match soles and straps plus accessorize it to their hearts’ content.

Well, whatever formal or more chic incarnations these flip-flops would take would certainly be worth watching out for. For now, there’s no denying that Havaianas has upped the flip-flop culture, somehow revolutionizing the way we channel comfort in fashion.