Havaianas were created in Brazil in 1962 and inspired by the Japanese Zori sandal. A sandal with cloth straps and woven rice straw soles. They replaced the straw with premium Brazilian rubber, updated the design to look fashionable, and the rest is history! This is why the soles feature a rice grain print; one of the many design details that make Havaianas unique. Their thongs were christened with the name Havaianas which means “Hawaiians” in Portuguese. This is in honour of the glamorous holiday destination with endless summer vibes. By 1964 practically every worker in Brazil wore a pair. Traveling salesmen would sell Havaianas directly from their vintage Volkswagen Combi vans throughout Brazil. The vans were always greeted with excitement! At first, Havaianas were only available in blue and white. But in 1969, a production error produced a batch of green thongs, which ended up hitting the marketplace. The reaction was so positive that Havaianas seized the opportunity and started producing more colours. In 1980 the brand was officially recognised as an intrinsic part of Brazilians lives by the Brazilian Government. They were included on a list of fundamental products (alongside rice and beans!) to control inflation. By this point, millions of pairs were being sold each year in Brazil. To celebrate the ’98 World Cup the “Havaianas Brazil” was launched. A style with a small Brazilian flag on the strap. Although the Brazilian team lost the Cup, it’s still one of their best-selling styles globally. In Australia, Havaianas enters the Guinness World Record Books for the first time for the most amount of people floating in a line (on our famous thong lilos!). Over 2,000 people gathered on Cottesloe Beach (Western Australia) to claim the record and raise funds for beach-side social projects. They still hold the record to this day!
