After launching a series of pop-up shops throughout the country since 2011, the São Paulo-based footwear brand will open a retail location in the heart of South Beach this month at 831 Lincoln Road. The 750-square-foot store — the brand’s second permanent outpost in the U.S. after its flagship in Huntington Beach, Calif. — will offer the largest assortment of Havaianas in Florida for women, men and kids.
Marcio Moura, president of Havaianas’ American operations since October 2012, cited Lincoln Road as an ideal spot for the brand’s second brick-and-mortar store as the shopping and dining hub is frequented by locals as well as tourists. “Miami embodies our brand spirit — fun-loving, vibrant and full of life,” said Moura. “It is already one of our key markets in the U.S. and opening a permanent store will make a lot of brand lovers very happy…not to mention that in Miami, you can wear Havaianas all year-round.”
The Miami shop will feature two interactive stations. The popular “Make Your Own Havaianas” station allows shoppers to customize their flip-flops with more than 20 options of color combinations and pin styles, while the “Embellish Your Own Havaianas” station allows shoppers to purchase a regular pair and decorate them on the spot. (Celebs like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Nicole Richie, Natalie Portman and Ke$ha have all taken part in the activities at past VIP events.)
Next up for the brand is a permanent location at the Westfield Topanga Mall in Los Angeles, slated to open before the end of the year, and Moura said a New York location is possible next year. A pop-up shop in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District last summer — preparation for the brand’s eventual expansion — was a success from both a “sales and consumer-response standpoint,” Moura said.
Kristi Garced, Women’s Wear Daily
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