Havaianas were created in Brazil in 1962 and inspired by the Japanese Zori sandal; a sandal with cloth straps and woven rice straw soles. Havaianas replaced the straw with premium Brazilian rubber, updated the design to look fashionable, and the rest is history! This is why the soles of Havaianas feature a rice grain print; one of the many design details that make Havaianas unique.
By 1964 practically every worker in Brazil wore a pair of Havaianas. Traveling salesmen would sell Havaianas directly from their vintage Volkswagen Combi vans throughout Brazil. The vans were always greeted with excitement!
Havaianas was officially recognised as an intrinsic part of Brazilians lives by the Brazilian Government after they were included on a list of fundamental products (alongside rice and beans!) to control inflation. By this point, millions of pairs of Havaianas were being sold each year in Brazil.
In Australia, Havaianas enters the Guinness World Record Books for the first time for the most amount of people floating in a line. Over 2,000 people gathered on Cottesloe Beach (Western Australia) to claim the record and raise funds for beach-side social projects. We still hold the record to this day!
In 2018, Havaianas made its runway debut at New York Fashion Week!
Following the resurgence in popularity of Havaianas amongst influencers and editors attending fashion shows throughout Europe, luxury Australian designer Dion Lee sent models down his runway in Havaianas as he presented his Spring 19 Collection in Soho.
What’s next for Havaianas you ask? We are also excited to find out!