In the mid-1990s Havaianas found its path as a differentiated product that connotes Brazil as much as Corona taps into the sun of Mexico. The Top, as the new model is called, is a single-color flip-flop that will win over the hearts and minds of the well-to-do. Havaianas are fashionable, celebrity-worthy accessories.

Besides the navigation menu, buttons are inserted throughout the mural, leading to segmented products, e.g., Trekking, Surf, Kids, etc. Surfing the site is a pleasure, as the same design concept guides the whole website. The musical background adjusts to each page, and a quick flip over the displayed product allows visualizing it in different colors. We were so enthusiastic over this remarkable online brochure that we tended to forgive the few technical hiccups, such as pages that frustratingly freeze on "00% loaded."

Leaving the Brazilian beats, the Havaianas USA button (in the English version only) flips the visitor to Style West, the exclusive distributor for the American market. This website is more conventional in its design, and aims at pushing the product through the different marketing channels. It is an e-commerce site, with some Flash animation integrated on every page, which creates some alignment with the overall branding effort.

The core of the branding effort clearly lies in the product team, back at Sao Paulo Alpargatas SA, which deserves kudos for turning a commodity into an object of desire. It’s a kaleidoscope masterpiece.