MARKET x Havaianas hits stores today and MARKET founder Mike Cherman has given us an insight into the making of the collaboration in the latest episode of Mike’d Up.

The partnership, which he reveals has been in the works since before Covid-19 surfaced, kicked off with a trip to Brazil, where Cherman and the MARKET team visited Havaianas' headquarters and factories. Joining them on their journey from Rio to Sao Paulo was long-term friend and footwear design consultant Mr. Bailey of the platform CONCEPTKICKS.

As a brand, MARKET excels at collaborating because of its commitment to innovation and storytelling, and this comes through in the episode. During the week they spent exploring Brazil, Cherman was struck by how fluidly people went from the sand to the streets in their flip flops, and was inspired to create a product that reflected that.

Drawing on another fundamental part of Brazilian life – the soaring temperatures and scorching sands – they worked closely with Havaianas’ product team to create a flip flop with a thermo-reactive surface that turns red when exposed to heat.

“We're really proud to be able to create a product that I think can transcend just being at the beach or in the street,” says Cherman on the release. “And ultimately, we look forward to being able to see this idea hit different environments around the world and see how people put this product to the test.”

Shop MARKET x Havaianas here.