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During our visit to Bread & Butter, we felt like dropping by Havaianas and check out what the brand has to offer. We talked with Sonia Eizaguirre, the brand's general manager. Keep on reading because some of the news are a real bomb!

The Havaianas collaborations are always one of the new season's strong points. What are you plans for next summer?

The first thing of all is our partnership with French brand Paul&Joe. They have designed a Havaiana model for men with a parrot print and a model for women with a flamingo print. They will be sold at Paul&Joe stores. Then, we are also collaborating with Marimeko, a brand which has provided prints for flip flips. These will be sold mainly in Scandinavian countries.

Will there be a new model?

Yes, the Top Mix, with a marked 1980s air. For the first time in the history of the Havaianas, the strap comes in two colours, fuchsia on the outside and yellow on the inside, for example.

You are presenting the 2010 Fall/Winter collection here? Any advances?

For the first time again, we are releasing winter Havaianas, sneakers with a foot-bed like that of classic Havaianas, made with ecologically-friendly fabrics and leathers. They are made in Brazil but will be distributed only in Europe.

Can you tell us a bit about the brand's history for those not familiar with it yet?

Well, the first model was released in 1962. They came with a white foot-bed and with blue straps, and they never changed until 1994. They are inspired in Japanese sandals and Hawaïan culture, thus the name, which is similar in many respects to Brazilian culture. They are a classic in Brazil. In the 1980s the government included them in aid packs for the poor, along with potatoes and rice.

In 1994 people started turning the white side downwards, leaving the coloured part up, and in 1998 a new model was designed in support of Brazil's national football team in the World Cup, featuring the Brazilian flag on the strap. In 2004, we started a collaboration with the IPE (Ecologic Research Institute), by which we donate 7% of our revenues to environmental projects in Brazil, something Brazilians deem very important.

Then in 2006, we released the first model for women, Havaianas Slim, thinner and more delicate. Last year we launched a one-strap model, and next summer we are releasing the classic Havaiana with a contrasted logo.

What is your favourite hotspot?

Anywhere flip flops are allowed…

You can't stop listening to…

Brazilian music. It's what we hear in the office all the time.

For you good2b is...

Being bold, fun, and fashion-sensitive without leaving the environment behind.

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