Havaianas sandals are one of the most famous Brazilian brands in the world, but how did this fame come about? In this article, we will talk about the Japanese sandals Zori, and how they played an important role in Brazil.
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Aren’t Havaianas sandals from Brazil?
When I was a child and saw the commercials on TV, I believed that the Havaianas brand was from Hawaii, but it was all just marketing due to the success that Hawaii had in the 60s in Hollywood.
After that, I always thought that Havaianas sandals were a Brazilian invention, but I was surprised this week to discover that it was foreigners who created the brand in Brazil. How so?
Havaianas were created by Alpargatas, a company founded by a Scotsman Robert Fraser in partnership with an English industry. They came to Brazil with the intention of creating footwear for factory workers.
Before Havaianas, the company Alpargatas launched other footwear in Brazil like the Conga. And I imagined that the Havaianas-style sandals or zori had always existed for thousands of years. What did Brazilians wear before?
What some may not know is that Havaianas sandals were inspired by the Japanese footwear zori. This footwear was made of rice straw, but there were similar models made even of wood.
The company claims they got this idea while traveling in Japan, but I wonder if no Japanese descendant wore a zori before the 60s here in Brazil. Perhaps it went unnoticed due to the prejudice that Brazilians had after World War II.
Zori – The traditional Japanese sandal
The zouri [草履] are flat Japanese sandals with straps that can be made of rice straw, lacquered wood, cloth, leather, rubber, or synthetic material. The zori are basically Japanese flip-flops.
The traditional zori are made of wood or rice straw and are usually worn with traditional clothing like kimono. They were made open to avoid sweating on the feet due to Japan’s humid climate.
Japanese people often wear a sock called tabi together with zori. These socks have only the separation of the big toe from the other toes. Some are so thick that they can be worn without footwear, like the ones ninjas use.
It is not known exactly how the Japanese invented the zori, but it probably had influence from China and Egypt, where the first traces of a sandal can be found. It is believed that the zori emerged in the Heian Period (794-1192).
The zori influenced not only Brazil, but even Americans became familiar with the famous sandals after World War II when soldiers returned to the USA bringing these Japanese flip-flops.
Hanao – Zori vs surippa and uwabaki
Both zori and geta have Y-shaped straps, these straps are called hanao. The Japanese believe that the function of the hanao is to improve foot health, they believe it requires skills to use them.
If you didn’t understand, these straps are the parts of Havaianas flip-flops that usually break. The one that separates the big toe from the other toes. In Japanese footwear, this part is usually made of fabric.
Brazilians are used to these flip-flops with Y-shaped straps, but the Japanese are not so accustomed to wearing these sandals, using geta and zori only when wearing traditional outfits like kimono and yukata.
Perhaps the difficulty with Japanese sandals is due to the fact that the hanao is made of fabric, which makes it difficult to fit the feet. In Brazilian flip-flops, this part is synthetic and tends to be hard, allowing for easy fitting of the feet.
Generally, the Japanese flip-flops are in the style of slippers that hold the feet. This makes it easier to put them on when entering houses and taking off shoes. Not to mention that they are comfortable and warm, which helps against the cold that dominates much of the year.
These slippers that resemble slippers are called surippa [スリッパ] and are used indoors along with another type of footwear called uwabaki [上履き] that resembles open shoes.
Zori vs Geta – What are the differences?
Zori is generally made of rice straw, while Geta is made of wood. Although the fundamental shapes of geta and zori are similar, there are significant differences when you pick them up and look at the bottom of them.
On the bottom of the geta, there are wooden stilts or projections called “teeth.” The standard geta requires two of these teeth that make contact with the ground, making a noise when someone is walking.
People usually wear geta in informal situations when wearing a yukata. The zori sandals are worn when wearing more formal clothing like kimono. It seems like a controversial situation, since the geta seems more complicated to wear.
The teeth of the geta footwear served to prevent soiling the clothes or tripping and falling, since in the past the roads were not paved like today. Nowadays, the scenario has reversed; it seems easier to fall while wearing a geta.
It is worth mentioning a bit about the Okobo, also known as bokkuri, pokkuri, and geta koppori. It is a type of geta used by geishas and maiko during their training, being easy since it has no teeth or projections.
Waraji – the poor man’s sandal
Waraji [草鞋] is a traditional Japanese footwear used in the past by common people and was made from straw ropes. Waraji can be considered a form of zōri, which is why they are used similarly.
The main difference in use between zouri and waraji is that the toes traditionally protrude a little over the edge of the waraji. This does not happen with zouri.
Nowadays, only Buddhist monks usually wear waraji. The waraji is worn without tabi socks. In addition to the hanao, these sandals can also have ribbons to tie around the feet like some footwear that women wear.
I hope you enjoyed this article. If you did, share it and leave your comments. Did you know these curiosities about Japanese footwear?
Where to buy a Zori?
You can buy a Japanese zori sandal below:
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