Havaianas goes south

It’s been a few years now since the beautiful people of Manila first slipped their feet into the comfy stylish staple known as Havaianas and it was love at first step. Ever since then, Filipinos have flocked from all corners of the islands to get their hands on a pair of these ubiquitous flip-flops and smart retailers have begun to take the hint and brought the slippers to the shoppers instead. Yes, so now you don’t have to fly all the way to Manila for your flip-flop fix. They may be available in a shop near you instead. Indeed, the latest addition in the ever-expanding diaspora of Havaianas in the Philippines – this time around, it’s Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Guimaras.

Thanks to Tropical Trading, Havaianas footwear is now available on these sunny shores and that’s just the beginning. Eventually, Tropical Trading hopes to bring in fun, quality and stylish products from all over the country and around the world. Established in 2005, Tropical Trading is run by a husband-and-wife team — Jet and Antoinette Lacson – who are both equally passionate about fun, fashion and life. He enjoys almost every outdoor sport including wakeboarding, mountaineering, trekking, spelunking and scuba diving while his lovely wife, a self-confessed vegetarian, is both a scuba diver and a yoga enthusiast. She’s also quite the fashion maven having worked for brands such as Gas Jeans, Benetton and Sisley. Together they spearhead the fun, funky company that’s bringing the fashion goods, such as Havaianas, into the region.

Tropical Trading is working with retail havens Small Wonders, Tank and Tee, and Virtu Spa and Salon which is where they distribute the funky, functional flip-flops and they’ve been flying off the shelves, which is no surprise. It just goes to prove, no matter where you find yourself on our many beautiful islands, fun fashion just never goes out of style!