This Hand-Woven Hawaiian Slipper Is Peak Flip-Flop
Noah’s newest shoe collaboration is a recipe for success. The 10-year-old menswear (not streetwear!) label is following up on footwear collections with sportswear giant PUMA and Korean heritage label Catch Ball by putting its spin on the original luxury flip-flop, which has been handmade in Hawaii for 80 years.
Island Slipper’s soft suede-lined sandals are the antidote to luxury’s current flip-flop obsession, which has resulted in innumerable plastic foot thongs selling for as high as four figures and, in the case of The Row’s $700 flops, constantly selling out. Noah isn’t engaging in that sort of rage-baiting flip-floppery, and instead had Hawaii’s sandal artisans cook up a custom (and comparatively affordable) alternative.
Island Slipper’s classic thong-toed slip-on is as close to being the high-end sandal ideal as possible, so Noah didn’t mess with the formula too much. The only major intervention to the sandals, available in either black or caramel brown suede, is a hand-braided British leather strap — a shrewd choice.
Adding woven leather is a foolproof way to make a great shoe even greater. Italian luxury giant Bottega Veneta, which has become synonymous with woven Intrecciato leather, has proven this countless times, inspiring similar styles from labels as disparate as Timberland, Supreme, COMME des GARÇONS, and, now, Noah.
All that layered leather means added texture decorating this otherwise simple design, which is something even the best of shoes can always benefit from, Island Slipper’s finest flip-flops included. Noah is onto a winning combination.
The only negative thing about this sandal is that there aren’t enough of them. Currently, the newest Island Slipper collaboration is only available in Japan for ¥41,800 (around $255), making them sadly elusive. There are alternatives, though, since the previous bi-colored Noah x Island Slippers collection is still on Noah’s American website and the Hawaiian sandal-maker has a Bottega-coded “Italian Weave” collection on its website.
All hope is not lost, woven-sandal enjoyers.
Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit our SHOPPER page and subscribe to the newsletter for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.
