...HAVAIANAS We can find them on the shelves of the most important department stores of the world, like the Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Saks in New York and Harrods in London. They are worn by socialites, famous artists, politicians and at the same time by peasants and poor people living in Brazilian favelas. Without a doubt, they are the most democratic sandals in the world. I am talking about HAVAIANAS, an authentic Brazilian product that once was considered sandals for the poor and now are at the feet of everyone, over 60 countries. Its inspiration is a traditional Japanese thong called Zori that is made with rice straw. This explains why Havainas sole imitates the texture of rice grains. The name Havaianas from Hawaii, because when the brand was created in 1962, famous people used to spend their vacations there. Havaianas at the beginning were not as colourful as we see today. They were all white with only the sides in different colours. They were very cheap at that time, so the company used to sell about 1000 pairs everyday all over Brazil. This success started to be copied, so many imitations started to appear on the market. Havaianas then applied for a patent for its model and launched an advertising campaign with the slogan: “ Havaianas, the originals “. During the 80’s, Havainas used to sell more than 80 million of pairs in Brazil. The sandals were so important to poor people that they were inserted by the government into the list of basic products to live...
Words: 642 - Pages: 3