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From Brazil, invasion of Havaianas: 'the people's' shoes

They are the latest in trendy footwear. You may have noticed them on the beach or at the mall - bright colorful flip-flops, bearing the name Havaianas on the strap.

By David Adams, Times Staff Writer
Published February 10, 2008

Dillard's shoe sales associate Christina Knowles, 28, shows off Havaianas, the latest in trendy footwear, from Brazil.
	[John Pendygraft | Times]

SAO PAULO, Brazil - They are the latest in trendy footwear. You may have noticed them on the beach or at the mall - bright colorful flip-flops, bearing the name Havaianas on the strap.

Named for Hawaii, these cushiony-soled sandals in fact hail from Brazil and have been around for almost 50 years. And while they may currently be riding a high-end fashion wave, they were originally designed for poor slum dwellers and sold in plastic bags at convenience stores, next to cleaning supplies.

"They have a story to tell and it's a very enriching story," said Elaine Sugimara, a fashion marketer with Alpargatas, the Brazilian firm that makes them.

It's likely you'll be getting a lot more familiar with their product. Until now they have been on limited sale in the United States through Nordstrom and smaller fashion outlets. But that's set to change. Alpargatas hired Sugimara, a fashion industry veteran, to head New York-based Alpargatas USA, as a part of a major assault on the American market.

Havaianas pronounced ah-vai-YAH-nas have begun appearing on the shelves of large department stores, including Dillard's, Macy's and Saks. This will enormously increase their market visibility. Nordstrom only has 93 stores nationwide, compared with 850 Macy's stores and 400 Dillard's.

Dillard's at the International Plaza in Tampa was the first store on Florida's west coast to being selling them in December. It's the resort time of year so sales have been brisk, store representatives say.

The company also has employed a strategy of celebrity "seeding." Among the celebrities spotted wearing Havaianas are Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston, as well as Cameron Diaz, Angelina Jolie, Beyonce and Cristina Aguilera.

Until now 90 percent of the company's sales have been limited to Brazil, with only 2-million pairs sold so far in the United States.

In Brazil they are so common the company says three out of every four Brazilians own a pair. It got to the point that Brazilian model Giselle Bundchen, the face of rival flip-flop brand Ipanema, was even caught wearing a pair of Havaianas.

"It's become the people's brand," said Sugimara. "We say Havaianas are to flip-flops what Kleenex is to tissue and Coke is to sodas."

Flip-flops represent 8 percent of shoe sales in the United States, as a measure of volume not revenue. In the United States, Alpargatas will be going up against major brand names such as Reef and Roxy. The main attraction for the company is the price its flip-flops can garner in the United States and Europe where the shoes fetch $40 in London and $22 in New York, compared to $10 in Brazil.

Part of the company secret to success is the Havaiana's unique soft-sole, made from a proprietary formula of recycled material and synthetic rubber.

The company was launched in Brazil in 1907 by a British man and an Argentine, but the Havaianas was patented in 1962. The original idea was modeled after the szori straw sandal in Japan.

Since its inception the basic style and material has remained consistent, with two models, the "slim" and the broader "top." The most traditional is a white top with blue straps. Some popular versions come with the Brazilian flag on the strap.

New adaptations include custom-made pairs for wedding favors and a ladies jewel-studded Swarovski crystal pair, which sells for $195 at Nordstrom.

The company hopes to replicate the success of its Brazilian marketing strategy. It already seems to be working. "They have very good merchandising all over the world," said Robert Khouri, owner of Havaparadise, a Havaianas specialty store in Jardins, an upscale Sao Paulo neighborhood. "I get foreigners coming in here all the time asking for them."

"We all come here," said British Airways flight attendant Jenny O'Brien during a stopover visit to Khouri's store. "It's our first port of call." O'Brien was buying 12 pairs, five for herself and the rest for friends and family, each one previously selected from the Havaianas Web site.

David Adams can be reached at dadams@sptimes.com.

On the web

Learn more at www.havaianasus.com

Or on the Nordstrom Web site, www.nordstrom.com.

[Last modified February 8, 2008, 21:52:33]