Rita Kanlogon, 42, a housewife from Lanang, said she learned about Havaiana’s durability through her friends from abroad. She said she bought each of her two teenage sons a pair because their slippers often had to be replaced. They loved to play basketball, which can snap the strap of their slippers.
It was about a year ago but, to this day, those pairs of flipflops are still okay. She didn’t even know that Havaianas were fashionista flip-flops until much later, she said. She admitted she bought a pair for herself upon finding out that they were fashionable to wear at the mall.
Without a doubt, fashion has boosted sales for Havaianas.
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A Havaianas employee makes a personalized pair for a client. (davaotoday.com photo by Jonald Mahinay)
When the flip-flops were first sold in Davao city in 2005, Nograles used to order a mere 2,000 pairs for her shops every three months. She and her partner, cousin Tisha Ang, thought the supply would be enough for their market, whom they identified mostly as young women.
Now, with several branches, they sold 10,000 to 15,000 pairs in the same period.
Sales usually surged in the summer months and Christmas. Nograles said the metallic styles seemed very popular this summer. The slims were also catching up, especially those with animal prints.
In Davao City, the flip-flops can be found at the Villa Margarita Hotel near the Buhangin flyover, at the Chimes Specialty Store, at the Philosophy Salon and at the Pearl Farm Resort in Samal Island. Nograles said they were about to open a branch of All Flip-Flops boutique at SM city.
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Gender has nothing to do with it. I wonder if he’s going to get the pink strap. (davaotoday.com photo by Jonald Mahinay)
With branches in Manila and the rest of the country, All Flip-Flops is the all-Havaianas boutique where clients can avail of a wider array of choices.
Havaianas first appeared when they were included in the loot bag of fashion must-haves distributed during the glitzy Oscars Awards five years ago. The loot bags, which traditionally held tens of thousands of US dollars worth of fashion must-haves, were given away to all nominees. Personalized Havaianas with swarovski crystals were distributed as extra goodies for the winners of major awards.
