We’re entering a different kind of flop era.
Once reserved for poolside lounging, beach outings or walking home from a pedicure appointment, the humble flip flop is en route to become the chicest shoe of the summer.
“For some reason the flip flops make you look cooler, like wearing an evening dress and flip flops,” Ancient Greek Sandals co-founder and designer Christina Martini told Business of Fashion.
“We’ve seen that a lot lately, that creates an appetite for it.”
Trendalytics data shows that searches for the simple sandal were up 12% last month while queries for platform and kitten heel flip flops have soared 225% and 700% respectively this spring, per BoF.
This week, Havaianas, which has manufactured classic $20 rubber flip flops for six decades, is launching its third designer collaboration this week: a collection with Dolce and Gabbana, which features an array of flops in the luxury brand’s eye-catching patterns priced at $138.
“Being part of people’s lives again is a must for us,” Maria Fernanda Albuquerque, the vice president of global marketing at Alpargatas SA, the parent company of Havaianas, told BoF.
“Flip-flops are super on trend, so we need to ride this wave.”
High-end designers like Gucci, Tory Burch, Prada, Chanel, Loewe and The Row are cashing in on the flip flop frenzy.
The Row’s trendsetting $990 leather Ginza sandal has long reigned as the hottest flip flop on the market with a thicker sole, but the low-profile City shoe, as seen in the brand’s pre-fall 2023 show in Paris, seemingly spurred a thong revolution.
That same season, Burberry and Gabriela Hearst debuted flops on the catwalk, and in 2023, Jennifer Lawerence sported a pair of thong sandals on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet.
“I used to only wear flip flops home from pedicures, it wasn’t something that I’d walk around in all day,” content creator Rachel Cohen Smolyar, who previously worked as a buyer for Bergdorf Goodman, told the outlet.
“But obviously when big brands like The Row are pushing a shoe, people are going to buy them.”
And, in an period of fashion where the casual has become subversive — like business casual branded as “corp-core” — it’s no surprise traditional flip flops are en vogue.
“There’s so much conversation around dad sneakers and Crocs and kitten heels making a comeback, but there’s something quite physical about people’s disdain for the flip-flop, which makes them more radical,” Biz Sherbert, podcaster and fashion extraordinaire, told Vogue.
Flip flop cynics have decried the wearing of item, especially in major metropolitan areas where the streets are frequently filthy. But where you might have been though a “disgusting freak” for sporting the sandals, now, it is high fashion, even when sold for a low cost.
J. Crew, Mango and Old Navy, per BoF, have debuted their own leather, or faux leather, variations of the thongs, while millennial nostalgia-inspired Floteez flops, emblematic of the current Y2K obsession, are available for sale at Free People.
“They’re so deeply utilitarian,” Sherbert continued. “You roll up to the bar in a pair of Havaianas and you still look good? That’s cool. The casual signaling that you’ve been to a different destination recently is very chic. You just walked off the airplane and now you’re going about your business? It’s unmatched.”
She added: “Once you start wearing them, you realize that you’ve been a loser for not wearing them all along.”