Havaianas: How a Cheap Brazilian Sandal Went Global

For thirty years, Havaianas were the cheapest shoes in Brazil: white on top, blue underneath, worn by builders, maids and kids. Then people started wearing them upside down. A Japanese sandal, a rice-grain sole, fake copies, a colour trick, a World Cup flag and a catwalk in Paris. CHAPTERS 0:00 A cheap sandal 0:22 A Japanese idea 1:19 Everyone's shoe 2:07 The problem 2:28 Upside down 3:17 The flag 3:37 The world 4:12 Same sandal? 4:34 Your turn SOURCES Alpargatas / Havaianas company history Brazilian press histories of the brand Business case studies on the 1994 repositioning IBGE population estimates