Como o “Chinelo de Pobre” Virou Havaianas — e Construiu um Império em Mais de 100 Países
Dossiê Impérios
251,752 views
How the “Poor Man’s Flip-Flop” Became Havaianas — and Built an Empire in Over 100 Countries
How did a flip-flop sold in plastic bags, transported in Kombi vans to grocery stores, and associated for decades with poverty become one of the greatest Brazilian symbols in the world?
In this episode of the Empires Dossier, we reconstruct the complete history of Havaianas: from its inspiration in the Japanese zori and its launch in 1962 to its image collapse in the late 1980s, the creation of Havaianas Top in 1994, and the decision to transform a popular product into a global fashion brand.
You will understand why there is no proven individual founder for the sandal, how the century-old structure of Alpargatas allowed for national expansion, and why observing consumers turning the sole inside out changed the company's strategy.
The episode also follows Ângela Tamiko Hirata in Paris in 2002, when Galeries Lafayette suggested distributing the product for free. The initial refusal, the mini-factory inside the store, and the presence in fashion-setting window displays helped propel Havaianas to over one hundred countries.
But the empire also weathered layoffs, losses, changes in control linked to the Lava Jato corruption scandal, the expensive acquisition of Rothy's, billion-dollar losses, failed attempts in the United States, and a financial recovery that culminated in record results in 2025.
And there's the recent controversy: the year-end campaign with Fernanda Torres, calls for a boycott, the drop in stock prices, and the debate over whether a brand built around "everyone wears them" can remain universal in a polarized country.
In this dossier:
The origin of Alpargatas in 1883 and the founding of the Brazilian operation in 1907
The birth of Havaianas in 1962 and the inspiration from the Japanese zori
Kombis, grocery stores, copies, patents and the "fake" campaign
Chico Anysio, the green batch of 1969 and the cultural penetration of the brand
The crisis of the 1980s, Rider and the loss of the middle class
Paulo Lalli, Havaianas Top and the repositioning of 1994
Ângela Hirata, Galeries Lafayette, Oscar and internationalization
Alpargatas sales in 2015 and 2017 and their corporate contexts
The purchase of Rothy's, the loss of 2023 and the recovery of 2025
The Lyst Index, the 2025 campaign and the future of the brand
In your In our opinion, does the value of Havaianas come from the product itself or from the history built around it? And should a national brand take a political stance or maintain its neutrality?
Subscribe to the Empire Dossier, activate the bell, and share this episode.
#Havaianas #Alpargatas #HistoryOfHavaianas #Companies #Businesses #Marketing #Branding #Documentary #EmpireDossie #Entrepreneurship #Fashion #Brazil
20 Comments
Nessa época elas eram branca e amarela ou branca e azul.
Depois, na época da faculdade usávamos a havaianas preta, era moda.
Hoje vejo locas da Havaianas no exterior com muito orgulho.
Uso até hoje, Amo meu chinelo bordado com pedrarias!
Ano do Brasil na França. Vi as Havaianas com cristais swarovski aparecerem na vitrine das Galleries Lafayette e vi o balcao onde se podia montar a sua personalizada. A partir de 2005, todos meus amigos europeus me pediam q eu levasse os chinelos de presente todas as vezes q eu ia a Europa, onde ela custava 30 euros! Era uma coisa doida. Eu levava 15 ou 20 pares de presente na mala cada vez q viajava. Ainda hoje, eventualmente, me pedem! Eu, claro, tenho minha pequena coleção cujas cores combinam principalmente com cada um dos meus maios e biquinis😅. Nem a controversa campanha de 2025 me afastou do meu "chinelo de pobre" 🩴. Amo Havaianas ❤
Como o “Chinelo de Pobre” Virou Havaianas — e Construiu um Império em Mais de 100 Países
Dossiê Impérios
251,752 views
How the “Poor Man’s Flip-Flop” Became Havaianas — and Built an Empire in Over 100 Countries
How did a flip-flop sold in plastic bags, transported in Kombi vans to grocery stores, and associated for decades with poverty become one of the greatest Brazilian symbols in the world?
In this episode of the Empires Dossier, we reconstruct the complete history of Havaianas: from its inspiration in the Japanese zori and its launch in 1962 to its image collapse in the late 1980s, the creation of Havaianas Top in 1994, and the decision to transform a popular product into a global fashion brand.
You will understand why there is no proven individual founder for the sandal, how the century-old structure of Alpargatas allowed for national expansion, and why observing consumers turning the sole inside out changed the company's strategy.
The episode also follows Ângela Tamiko Hirata in Paris in 2002, when Galeries Lafayette suggested distributing the product for free. The initial refusal, the mini-factory inside the store, and the presence in fashion-setting window displays helped propel Havaianas to over one hundred countries.
But the empire also weathered layoffs, losses, changes in control linked to the Lava Jato corruption scandal, the expensive acquisition of Rothy's, billion-dollar losses, failed attempts in the United States, and a financial recovery that culminated in record results in 2025.
And there's the recent controversy: the year-end campaign with Fernanda Torres, calls for a boycott, the drop in stock prices, and the debate over whether a brand built around "everyone wears them" can remain universal in a polarized country.
In this dossier:
The origin of Alpargatas in 1883 and the founding of the Brazilian operation in 1907
The birth of Havaianas in 1962 and the inspiration from the Japanese zori
Kombis, grocery stores, copies, patents and the "fake" campaign
Chico Anysio, the green batch of 1969 and the cultural penetration of the brand
The crisis of the 1980s, Rider and the loss of the middle class
Paulo Lalli, Havaianas Top and the repositioning of 1994
Ângela Hirata, Galeries Lafayette, Oscar and internationalization
Alpargatas sales in 2015 and 2017 and their corporate contexts
The purchase of Rothy's, the loss of 2023 and the recovery of 2025
The Lyst Index, the 2025 campaign and the future of the brand
In your In our opinion, does the value of Havaianas come from the product itself or from the history built around it? And should a national brand take a political stance or maintain its neutrality?
Subscribe to the Empire Dossier, activate the bell, and share this episode.
#Havaianas #Alpargatas #HistoryOfHavaianas #Companies #Businesses #Marketing #Branding #Documentary #EmpireDossie #Entrepreneurship #Fashion #Brazil