Havaianas

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A Global Icon Finds New Relevance

In warm weather, flip-flops are something easy to slip on and forget about. For decades, it was the unofficial uniform of summer. But, it’s also what made Havaianas iconic. Born in Brazil and beloved worldwide, the brand turned rubber soles into a global fashion statement, known for its bright colors, breezy comfort, and laid-back charm.

Today, Havaianas still sells hundreds of millions of pairs a year. But in the U.S., the flip-flop had lost its cool. It was practical, sure, but rarely intentionally styled, and almost never seen as fashionable.

For Gen Z and Millennial women, TikTok and Instagram set the tone for what’s in and what’s next. Havaianas knows style isn’t static. It’s a feeling, a rhythm, a reflection of where culture is headed. It’s less about what you wear, more about how it’s worn, when it shows up, and what it signals.

To show this audience that flip-flops can be stylish, Havaianas couldn’t simply rely on product seeding. It needed storytelling that made it feel effortless, enviable, and undeniably cool again.

challenge

Making Flip-Flops Fashion

While Havaianas has long been a staple in warm-weather wardrobes, its U.S. presence needed a refresh. Flip-flops had become functional, not fashionable, and for a new wave of style-conscious women, they were often an afterthought.

The ask wasn’t to get back into closets. It was to make Havaianas feel like a fashion-forward choice while maintaining the brand’s unmistakable DNA.

As part of the shift, Havaianas set out to:

Reignite brand relevance
Position Havaianas as a summer essential with year-round style value
Balance aspiration and relatability across TikTok and Instagram
Create content that was consistent, scalable, and visually distinct

That meant avoiding the cliché “hot girl summer” trap and instead building something longer-lasting: a platform-native presence that could flex to new launches, creator voices, and cultural moods.

That’s where Kyra came in.

solution

An Always-On Engine Built For Cultural Relevance

Kyra ran Havaianas’ always-on creator program across TikTok and Instagram, combining polished fashion storytelling with everyday spontaneity. The campaign leaned into seasonality, using sunny rituals, summer styling, and vibrant escapism to bring the brand’s carefree energy to life.

The strategy focused on emotional storytelling, not just product seeding. Creators acted as stylists, muses, and narrators, reframing flip-flops as fashion pieces rather than beach basics. By using the same talent across multiple briefs, we unlocked stronger POVs, better performance, and more authenticity over time.

Our platform made scaling the program possible. Targeting tools ensured relevance, reposting rights enabled extended usage, and built-in approval workflows kept production moving quickly month after month.

Our campaigns team kept the creative system cohesive, guiding narratives to stay fresh, fashion-forward, and unmistakably Havaianas.

results

Flip-Flops, Made Cool

Kyra’s creator program helped Havaianas reframe flip-flops as a fashion-forward staple, not just a summer essential. Month after month, the program delivered stronger engagement, higher sentiment, and growing cultural relevance.

In total, the always-on program delivered:

10m+ views
10.2% engagement rate, more than 4x higher than in 2024
98% positive brand sentiment, up from 81% YoY
4.8x ROI on EMV

The content didn’t just perform, it lasted. Evergreen assets drove long-tail value across both organic and paid, while long-term creator partnerships deepened authenticity with each brief.

With Kyra, Havaianas made consistency feel creative and proved that when the storytelling lands, summer never really ends.

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