Rainbow Flip-flops Are Gen Z’s Sandal of the Summer
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At Brick Street, the preferred bar among students at Ohio’s Miami University, Saturday has become an unofficial flip-flop day — at least according to the frat bros. Back in 2024, you would have spotted them sipping their beers in Birkenstocks, but over the past year, Rainbow flip-flops have steadily become their warm-weather shoe of choice. And it’s not just on their campus: “Everyone at Baylor, like legit everyone, wears them,” sophomore Lily Patterson told me. Over on the West Coast, UC San Diego freshman Avery Simon says she sees every other person wearing a pair of Rainbows, and the same phenomenon at UMass Amherst prompted former “Birkenstocks stan”Ezra Holtto think,Wait, I need a pair of flip-flops, specifically Rainbow flip-flops.
Given Gen Z’s appetite for early aughts-eralow-rise jeansandUGGs, it was only a matter of time before they claimed Rainbows as their own. Designed by surfer and Orange County residentJay “Sparky” Longleyin the 1970s, the sandals became especially popular in the early 2000s, with everyone from college students toZac EfronandKristen Stewartwearing them. Two decades later, Rainbow flip-flops are once again the shoe of the summer for anyone under the age of 24. For girls, it’s the Flirty Braidy, a daintier style with braided leather straps that’s available in a variety of browns and bubblegum pink. The single-layer leather sandal, on the other hand, has become the favorite of frat bros at colleges across the country.
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While some Gen-Zers, like Georgia College & State University student Finley Pierce, inherited pairs from their parents, many picked up on the trend from classmates who had grown up on the West Coast or from social media where rumors about the shoe’s notorious break-in period were spreading. Over the past few months,TikTokvideosseeking and sharing break-in tips have accrued upwards of a million views. Under a video she posted, Baldwin Wallace University seniorBella Radkesays, “There were so many crazy comments about microwaving them or putting them on in the shower.” All this may seem excessive, but according to the Gen-Zers who love the shoes, it’s worth it: “Once you break them in, it’s the perfect shoe that’s customized to your foot,” says 18-year-old Californian Jack Holmes.
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Post-break-in period, there are seemingly few places where the studentswon’twear the flip-flops. “I’m running errands, I’m putting them on. I’m wearing a dress, I’m putting them on. I’m wearing jeans and going to dinner, I’m still putting them on,” says Violet Alao, a Syracuse University student. “I pretty much wear them whenever I’m not going to the gym,” Miami University student Cam Behaein says, and other frat members at Baylor and UMass Amherst were spotted wearing theirs until winter break last semester. Some girls have even decorated them with charms from Free People. At $70, the flip-flops aren’t cheap, but the college kids see them as a worthy investment. “They’re kind of like a Birkenstock, but in flip-flop form,” Radke says. “You invest money in it, but it’s worth it because it lasts for a long time.” As for if the trend lasts beyond this summer — only time will tell.
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