We had embarked on the most beautiful camel and walking safari in the Matthews range of hills in Kenya and I needed flip flops. I bought some for me and my whole family and mine have lasted a decade. They bear the marks of Tara's teeth and countless entries of thorn tree spikes which are the bain of flip flop walkers in the Kenyan bush.They are as soft as putty and nearly worn through but they have accompanied me around the world and I am loathe to throw them out but sadly when I was walking in a field the other day the power of the mud was so strong it sucked the central part straight out tearing the rubber and they are no longer safe to walk in.
The modern flip flop design was invented in Auckland, New Zealand by Morris Yock and patented in 1957 shockingly the year I was born. YES that long ago. They are modelled after the japanese wooden sandals that you see in Japan.
Flip-flops may have been familiar in the United States in the mid-19th century. An 1861 letter to the editor of The New York Times mentioned poorly equipped troops in the Seventh Regiment Volunteers wearing "flip-flaps":
Havaianas a Brazilian brand of flip-flop gained world recognition in 1998 after the company developed a flip flop for the World Cup that featured the Brazilian flag.The brand has been around since 1962. The brand's famous slogan "Havaianas. The Real Ones." originated in the 1970s as a response to other companies making knock-off versions of the flip-flops. The name Havaianas means Hawaiians in Portuguese.
So the end of another era ? Time for an Indian flip flop from the shop in the picture.
