Since teasing the new style in May with Japanese streetwear icon mastermind JAPAN, Havaianas dropped a wide range of colorways of its revolutionary new flip flop, Tradi Zori.
The story goes that Havaianas was founded after executives from the Brazilian sporting goods company Alpargatas traveled to Japan in the early 1960s, taking on the reliability and inexpensive design of Zori. On their return to Brazil, they redesigned the Zori to better suit the needs of Brazilian workers, making it more ergonomic and switching rice straw for rubber to be waterproof. The new flip flop was named Tradicional and remains one of Havaianas’s most popular lines to this day.
Following in their footsteps, the designer of the Tradi Zori, Leonardo Fujisaka, embarked on a trip to Japan and he too came back inspired. “The high level and quality of their products really opened my mind, and I was really inspired by how traditional products are still very present in modern-day Tokyo,” says Fujisaka. “As the most famous worldwide flip flop brand, we always need to push and expand the category’s vision and I think the best way to write the future is by using your DNA to achieve something new but authentic. Considering the Zori was the first inspiration for our brand, why not use it to inspire this new product.”
The Tradi Zori is a flip flop innovation that introduces new proportions and a more modern, bulky design into the category, making it ideal for city living rather than the beach. Centered on traditional Japanese zori, Fujisaka reimagined its wide, angular sole in cushioned EVA rubber and combined it with a soft, rubber footboard, grippy rubber outsole and wide fabric strap. Colorways are directly lifted through Tradicional color palettes.
In the words of fashion favorite Leo Mandella aka @gullyguyleo, who was one of the first to get his hands on the new flip flop, “The bright color-blocked design makes these so easy to style into any outfit for me. I always thought flip flops were for the beach but now I’m actually able to rock these in my day to day fits.” Kofi McCalla aka @icykof was also one to unbox the flip flops ahead of anyone else, and he explains “I love how the shape of these Havaianas is really bold and unique. A conversation piece. And how much I love Japanese influences, I feel these best represent me. I like different, I like to stand out. And I look to Japanese culture for inspiration on projects I work on.”
The Tradi Zori is available in limited quantities and retails for $80, and you can get them here.
