The 10 strangest flip flops in fashion history To celebrate the beginning of the warm season

The summer solstice is just around the corner, even though temperatures across the European continent have already exceeded 30°C for several weeks. The sudden heat has called for an earlier-than-expected change of season — which means the flip-flop season has kicked off sooner than usual. But beyond the classic Havaianas, or last year's The Row flip flops, the fashion system has over the years created wildly different takes on the ultimate summer shoe. Here, then, is a list of the 10 strangest flip flops in fashion history. 

Gimaguas x Havaianas

If Havaianas have become one of the most coveted items of the past year (even making it onto the Lyst ranking), part of the credit goes to Gimaguas. The Spanish brand has been collaborating with the Brazilian label across several drops, playing with charms, materials and unexpected details — right up to last December's release, which pairs the flip flop with a leather leg warmer studded with metal eyelets. A flip flop? A boot? A sock? Perhaps a little of everything, all in the name of staying fashionable even in summer. 

Balenciaga – Gaeta Sandals 

For his debut as creative director of Balenciaga, presented during Paris Fashion Week SS26, Pier Paolo Piccioli made flip flops the undisputed stars of the collection, offering them in several versions all united by exaggerated proportions. The most distinctive, called the Gaeta, features a velvet platform with an elongated toe that curves upward and a notch at the heel, as though it had been hand-carved. It bears a certain resemblance to the structure of Vivienne Westwood's Rocking Horse ballerinas. 

Maison Margiela – Tabi Flip Flops 

If there is one shoe that Maison Margiela has never tired of reinterpreting, it is the Tabi. Inspired by traditional Japanese socks, the silhouette conceived by Martin Margiela in 1988 has become one of the most recognisable symbols in the fashion system, reimagined over the years as boots, pumps, ballerinas, loafers, sneakers, mules, Mary Janes and even flip flops. The curious thing is that the flip flop already separates the big toe from the rest, but Margiela decided that wasn't enough — adding a second split and adapting his signature fashion shoe to the hottest of temperatures. 

Issey Miyake x United Nude – Bounce Sandals 

Staying in Japan, Issey Miyake also found inspiration for reinventing the flip flop in his country's traditional footwear. Born from a collaboration with United Nude, the Bounce Sandal draws on the structure of the geta — the historic raised wooden sandal — reinterpreting it in a contemporary key through a sculpted, suspended sole that seems to almost float beneath the foot, paired with padded neoprene straps that echo the upper of the traditional Japanese sandal. 

Tory Burch – Pierced Slide

As trend forecaster Mandy Lee, better known as Old Loser in Brooklyn, has pointed out over the past year, there is probably no brand more interesting than Tory Burch when it comes to footwear right now. After a few years in the shadows, recent collections have brought the designer's name back to the centre of the conversation, thanks to shoes that are as unusual as they are desirable — the ultimate «freaky shoes». For SS26, the brand presented the Pierced Slide, which at first glance looks like a pair of minimalist leather flip flops — but with one striking detail: the toe strap is threaded through a maxi piercing that transforms the flip flop into a piece of jewellery. 

Vivobarefoot – Achilles 

Before Balenciaga's Zero turned the human foot into the final frontier of design, someone had already come up with an even more radical idea. In 2011, Vivobarefoot introduced the Achilles, described by the brand as the world's first «performance running flip flop». A shoe designed for running that looked as though it had come out of a biomechanics lab rather than a sports shop. The TPU upper wraps around the foot while leaving it almost entirely exposed, while the barely-there 3mm sole promises an experience as close as possible to walking barefoot. 

MSCHF – Flipped Flop

Although this article is about flip flops in the strict sense, there is a small problem with MSCHF's Flipped Flop: it isn't exactly a flip flop. Starting from the classic pool slide, the New York collective has literally flipped its structure, folding the sole back on itself to create an impossible silhouette that defies all ergonomic logic. 

Junya Watanabe x Comme des Garçons 

Among the most interesting pieces in the Junya Watanabe archive are a pair of shoes created under Comme des Garçons. A reinterpretation of the classic flip flop that reflects the designer's interest in the cross-pollination of different dressing traditions. The shoe's essential construction is enriched by a series of leather straps that extend along the foot and up the leg, evoking both the Roman gladiator sandal and certain silhouettes from traditional Japanese footwear. 

Miu Miu – Bubble Sole Flip-Flops

Among all the aesthetic codes that Miu Miu has revisited in recent years, the bubble sole is perhaps one of the most iconic. First introduced in the FW99 collection, this distinctive sole covered in small 3D spheres has over the years become a major archival piece, sought after by collectors and brand enthusiasts alike. This summer version represents a further evolution: the classic flip flop is paired with a small kitten heel and slender laces to wrap around the ankle, while the playful character of the sole remains fully intact (it was brought back by the brand for the first time last season). 

Givenchy – Kyoto Sandals 

Presented in Givenchy's Resort 2020 collection, the Kyoto sandals perfectly reflect Clare Waight Keller's approach to the maison. Inspired by traditional Japanese flip flops, the shoe pairs soft padded leather straps with a generously proportioned ribbed rubber platform. At a moment when luxury footwear was dominated by chunky sneakers — from the Balenciaga Triple S to the Gucci Rhyton — Givenchy chose a different path, reinterpreting a simple flip flop with the voluminous proportions that defined the era.