Why Did Men Start Wearing Flip Flops?

In some quarters, flip-flops are maligned as everything that is wrong with modern menswear; comfort obsessed, overly casual, and disposable. But, since 2006, flip-flop sales have eclipsed even sneaker sales in North America. So, whether you consider them tops or flops, flip flops have certainly flipped the script when it comes to casual footwear, but why did men wear them in the first place?

Today, we talk about the history of flip-flops, and the precursor, the sandal. We’ll follow their progress into the 20th Century and the explosion of popularity flip-flops have experienced since the early 2000s. We’ll determine why men started wearing flip-flops and determine their place within the classic style, because believe it or not, they do have a place.

History of Flip Flops

Let’s first trace the origins and development of the flip-flop through history. Sandals, the proto-flip-flops, are one of the oldest shoe types. A cachet of woven fiber sandals found in Oregon’s Fort Rock Cave could be around 10,000 years old.

Some truly fantastic sandals could be found in Ancient Egypt. Most ancient Egyptians went barefoot, and only wealthy and important figures wore sandals. Accordingly, some were highly decorated, like those that came from the tomb of the famous pharaoh, King Tut.

When comparing construction, you’ll see that the toe post design hasn’t changed much between this example, which is about 3,000 years old, and modern flip flops.

Of course, sandal design could vary greatly depending on location and function. Just look at the statutory fragment from the 1st or 2nd Century A.D. offers us a glimpse of a Roman military sandal and an illustration of a Japanese samurai donning a pair of tied-on waraji.

Sandals were worn in the West well into the early modern period, often as an inexpensive day shoe for utilitarian functions or for travel. They are even mentioned in Shakespeare. “How should I, your true love, know from another one? By his cockle head and staff and his sandal shoon.”

Raphael will teach you more about sandals and why they aren’t in favor for classic style in a separate guide, but for our purposes today, let’s skip ahead to the middle of the 20th Century.

Mid 20th Century 

According to popular tradition, allied servicemen stationed in Japan after World War II adopted the tradition of wearing zōri as house shoes. Zōri are a type of slip-on Japanese sandal, which evolved from the aforementioned waraji. Wartime constraints near the end of World War II necessitated that Japanese zōri be made out of rubber and, upon the war’s conclusion, these rubber zōri could be made cheaply and sold across the globe.

They soon became associated with comfort and ease and were solely adopted by the burgeoning surf culture in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. In most Anglophonic nations, these shoes were widely referred to as “thongs.”

“Thong” is a term for a leather strap, like the strap used on these shoes. Although, the name “jandals” were also sometimes used as a portmanteau of “Japanese sandals.”

The term “flip-flops” is an onomatopoeia of the sound they make when they are worn, and it became commonplace in the late 1960s in North America.

In 1962, the Brazilian company Havaianas started mass producing these rubber sandals that resembled zōri. With distinctive blue and white coloring, their name comes from the Portuguese word for “Hawaiians” because similar style sandals were often a common sight on the beaches of Hawaii, which does have a large population of Japanese immigrants.

In Brazil, Havaianas were associated with the working classes and, within a few years, were one of the nation’s most popular shoe styles. In 1966, the owners of Havaianas, Alpargatas, patented their design. And for all intents and purposes, the modern flip-flop was fully born.

For most of the 1950s and early 1960s, a more traditional style of shoe had remained popular with beach goers, such as boat shoes, the canvas Keds in an advertisement from 1962, and espadrilles like those worn by Alain Delon in Plein Soleil, an early film adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley in 1999, which made a style review about.

As the 1960s wore on, flip-flops became synonymous with beach life; beloved by surfers, appearing poolside, and even earning a mention in the 1964 Beach Boys song All Summer Long.

The popularity of flip-flops and similar casual shoes continued to grow. In the early 1970s, entrepreneur Jay Longley began hand-making flip-flops out of rubber and leather out of his Laguna Beach, California home; averaging about 15 pairs a day.

In 1974, he founded Rainbow Sandals in San Clemente, California. It could turn on about 1,200 a day from its production facility, and that same facility is still up and running today.

Around the same time, University of California, Santa Barbara students Doug Otto and Karl Lopker were selling their own flip-flops, which they dubbed “Deckers” because the layer construction of the soles resembled wooden decks.

Late 20th Century

In 1984, Reef Sandals was founded by Argentinian brothers Fernando and Santiago Aguerre after they moved to La Jolla, California. Reef products were originally manufactured in Brazil like Havaianas, and this connection was emphasized in Reef advertising.

Also, in 1984, Teva sandals were conceived, when Mark Thatcher, a Grand Canyon river guide, was distraught over how often his flip-flops would float away. He then used Velcro straps to affix them to his feet.

In the 1990s, flip-flops and other sport sandals grew in popularity – both at the beach and for other outdoor excursions like walking or hiking.

21st Century

After saturating the leisure market, flip-flop manufacturers undertook a conservative effort in the early 2000s to market their wares as perfectly acceptable everyday shoes. Children and young people were some of the first to accept this trend.

In 2005, lacrosse athletes from Northwestern University caused a minor “sandal scandal” in the United States when some players decided to wear flip-flops to a formal photograph with President George W. Bush. But, just a few years later in 2011, Barack Obama became the first sitting US President to appear in public wearing flip-flops at an ice cream parlor in Hawaii.

By this time, flip-flops had already become a common sight across the globe for about a decade; worn by everyday men as they ran errands or did chores, but also gracing the feet of the famous, including JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake of NSYNC, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Liam Hemsworth.

Flip-flops are now considered a mainstay in many menswear spheres. Several luxury brands have even entered the flip-flop market, including Gucci retailing at $320, Louis Vuitton at $350, and Giorgio Armani at $550. That’s a long way for flip-flops to go from the favelas of Brazil to the high-fashion runway. But, those are the only costs of flip-flops.

Due to their casual and feral nature, many flip-flops are treated as disposable products. Every year, about three billion flops are made and many promptly end up in the trash; constituting, in some regions, up to 25% of pollutants in the ocean.

Recognizing this sad reality, several sustainable flip-flop companies have been founded, including the Hawaiian-based brand OluKai in 2006.

Why Men Started Wearing Flip Flops

Now that we’ve traced the full history of the flip-flop – from beach-going bobble to high-fashion footwear – let’s identify the factors that led men to start wearing them. I’ve previously touched upon some of these topics in our “Why Did Men Stop Wearing Dress Shoes?” post, but for now, we’re sticking strictly to sandals and fixing firmly on flip-flops.

1. Holiday Culture

Following the Second World War, additional leisure time and reduced fuel costs made it easier than ever to take vacations and holiday time, especially to distant exotic locations with beaches as a favorite getaway location. Because modern holiday culture was still developing, there was not yet an established wardrobe, so vacationers would quickly learn to pick up local items that would suit the climate.

We love leather dress shoes, but even we have to admit they don’t mix well with beaches. Flip-flops being cheap, easy to fit, and ideal for hot climates were favored purchases. Because they’re easy to pack, these flip-flops were often taken home both for occasional use, but also as a souvenir of the trip. Oftentimes, these beach accessories could find themselves adopted into regular clothing rotation, especially when the wearers found themselves missing the seaside and the beach lifestyle.

2. Beach Culture

That laid-back, fun lifestyle first explored by beach culture soon became its own ethos in the popular psyche. Between Salt Life decals, Margaritaville restaurants, and the beach country musical subgenre, it was clear that people wanted to relax and enjoy a more laid-back, beach lifestyle, even when not at the beach.

And one way to do that was to regularly wear flip-flops. This trend crashed headlong into the growing casualization of menswear, which we discussed in greater detail in another guide tackling the decline of classic menswear, and the result was an increasing willingness to accept flip-flops outside of pools and beachfronts.

3. Societal Casualization

As society became increasingly casual, workplaces followed; albeit much more slowly. Many of the new industries of the 90s and 2000s, primarily in the computer and digital arenas, were more willing to adapt to the desires of the workers to dress more casually in the workplace; forsaking suits and Oxfords for T-shirts and flip-flops.

Like flip-flops, these tech industries were nurtured under the sunny skies of California and that beach life attitude found its way into Silicon Valley boardrooms; helped along by more utilitarian capitalism that didn’t quite care how workers were dressed, just as long as they clocked in every day and did their work. Flip-flops were soon accepted as workplace-appropriate in many areas. 

4. A Focus on Comfort

A uniting factor and the overall popularity of flip-flops and the casualization of menswear, in general, is that flip-flops are more comfortable than conventional shoes. Most modern flip-flop makers have geared their marketing to stress this point–construction or design to make their products suitable for all-day wear.

From personal experience, we haven’t quite found flip-flops to be comfortable for all-day wear, especially when compared to a well-made pair of dress shoes. For many people, the lack of support can lead to physical issues, but that hasn’t done much to shake the popular perception that the lightweight design and explosive ventilation of flip-flops, which allegedly mimics the experience of being barefoot, makes them that much more comfortable.

5. The Heroic Physique

Finally, we’ll offer one more explanation as to why men started wearing flip-flops that goes all the way back to the shoe’s origins. When flip-flops were first introduced, a beach bod craze saw young men desperately trying to achieve the muscled and chiseled physique of Charles Atlas.

And from the 2000s onwards, as the flip-flop rose to supremacy, the desire to emulate ripped reality TV stars, muscled musicians, and the latest heartthrob superheroes has only grown stronger. With more and more men invested in health-conscious living and regular sessions at the gym, flip-flops may be an extension of the desire to wear athleisure because it highlights your build, showing off the hard work you put into building the perfect body.

Like shorts or sleeveless shirts, the flip-flop puts more of the body onto display; perhaps explaining their popularity with young athletic celebrities. Perhaps in this sense, flip-flops are reminiscent of the ancient sandals worn by the gods and heroes immortalized in Marvel.

These social movements were helped by the fact that, as mentioned, these manufacturers marketed these flip-flops as everyday wear. So, between organic desire and a little prepackaged push, it’s not hard to see how flip-flops got such a strong foothold in menswear.

Is There A Place For Flip Flops In Classic Style?

The question then becomes: should you wear flip-flops as a part of an interest in classic style? We’re still going to have to agree with the assessment Raphael made in our “19 Things Men Should  Never Wear” post.

When it comes to classic style, we do believe that flip-flops have a place. That place just happens to be at the beach or at the pool. If you’re cultivating a classic look, we feel there aren’t as many circumstances that will allow for flip-flops.

And if flip-flops just aren’t your thing, don’t fret. The classic style offers many alternatives that are beach-appropriate. You can find two of our favorites modeled by Sean Connery as James Bond in the 1965 film Thunderball. He wears a pair of simple leather sandals, which provides all the airiness of flip-flops, with a more secure fit and more classical lines, and also a pair of timeless espadrilles for a more formal, substantive look.

Conclusion

We hope that, in learning about the history of flip-flops, you better understand why men started wearing them and what the role is in relation to classic style. Personally, my favorite time to wear flip-flops is when I’m on a boat.

How do you like to wear your flip flops? Share your style insights in the comments!

Outfit Rundown

Today, I’m wearing a brown mule-skin jacket, a white and brown striped shirt, blue trousers, white leather sneakers, and brown Fort Belvedere socks. Check out the Fort Belvedere Shop for socks like these.