Figure 1.-- Here we see a group of children during February 2004 in Mopia, a small village in Gabon (equatorial Africa). Most of them wear havaianas; someone is barefoot or wears other types of sandals.

We are not sure that they are precisely a sandal, but for want of a better place we will archive them here. A reader writes, "I think HBC should have a section on flip-flops. The Italian term is "infradito" i.e. between the toes). The Spanish term is "havaianas". Looking at the whole world, this sort of footwear is a very widespread type of children footwear. Perhaps the most common after bare feet. In Italy flip-flops were always popular as summer casual footwear. After a period of decreasing popularity (except for the beach wear), the popularity in mid-2000s has been increasing with more children wearing flip-flops. This is associated with the general increase of children wearing sandals that in many places exceed sneaker wear. Usually boys associated flip-flops with casual clothing, but girls often wear flip-flops as dress footwear (there are not only plastic and ruberized flip-flops). Flip-flops are especially common in Asia (where live an half of the world people), Africa and South America. This presumably mkes them the most commonly worn type of children's footwear."

Terminology

We are not sure that they are precisely a sandal, but for want of a better place we will archive them here. The American term is "flip-flop". I'm not sure if this is used in England and other English-speaking countries. A reader writes, The Italian term is "infradito" i.e. between the toes). The Spanish term is "havaianas"." We assume that referred to Havana. A HBC reader suggests it refers to Hawaii. Apparently the Spanish term come from the Portuguese because the flip-flop became so popular in Brazil. I also do not know how extensively the word is used in Latin America outside Brazil. An Italian reader writes, "The Italian term for informal shoes is "ciabatte". The Italian term means all sort of slippers and so we say often "ciabatte di gomma" i.e. gum-slippers. "Infradito" is the specific sort of flip-flop with a pin between first and second toes that you can wear only with bare feet. Italian children wore always flip-flop as casual footwear." A California reader wrires, "These shoes were known in California, at least, in the 1960s as 'go aheads'. Or, by Spanish speakers as, 'Don' back ups'."

History

The term "Havaianas" is apparently a commercial trade name. A Brazilian company in 1962 began producing the "Havaianas" flip-flop. The company's website reports, "The Zori sandal (a Japanese style sandal) was the inspiration for the creation of the Havaianas sandal in 1962. The name Havaianas (pronounced ah-vai-YAH-nas), Portuguese for Hawaiians, was a tribute to America’s glamorous holiday destination. The addictive nature of these flip-flops is largely due to a 42-year old secret rubber formula, which makes them butter-soft, bouncy, flexible and durable. The idea for the new sandal was so simple that its success spread like wild-fire. In less than a year, São Paulo Alpargatas was making five pairs of Havaianas every second; which adds up to 125 million pairs per year. Since their launch, 2.2 billion pairs of Havaianas sandals have been produced and sold throughout the world. If the sandals were laid end to end, they would go around the world 50 times".

Popularity

Our reader writes, "Looking at the whole world, this sort of footwear is a very widespread type of children footwear. Perhaps the most common after bare feet. In Italy flip-flops were always popular as summer casual footwear. After a period of decreasing popularity (except for the beach wear), the popularity in mid-2000s has been increasing with more children wearing flip-flops. This is associated with the general increase of children wearing sandals that in many places exceed sneaker wear. Usually boys associated flip-flops with casual clothing, but girls often wear flip-flops as dress footwear (there are not only plastic and ruberized flip-flops). Flip-flops are especially common in Asia (where live an half of the world people), Africa and South America. This presumably mkes them the most commonly worn type of children's footwear."

Usage

Flip-flop usage varies by country and gender. They are commonly worn as basic footwear in the warmer regions of the Third World. This is primarily an economic matter. They are the most inexpensive type of footwear. In developed countries they are seen as casual footwear for the beach or wear around the home. This varies more by gender. As our Italian reader points out, while boys wear flip-flops as casual wear, girls wear them for all kinds of different occasions. The difference here in part reflects differences in actiities favored by boys and girls. They are not suitable, for example, for active footwear. Also differences in footwear style affect footwear usage. Many types od girl and women's shoes expose the bare foot. This is not the case for boys' and men's footwear. As a result, girls see the flip-flop as approprite for a wider range of events than boys.

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Created: 4:23 AM 9/19/2005
Last updated: 4:23 AM 9/19/2005