Cool Hunting

Brazil—where Havianas were born—is renowned for fabricating sandals because they've had the years of practice to make them beautiful. Enter Papé. Papé sandals blend customization with fashion, versatility and Brazilian quality craftmanship.

Their kiosk, located in Sao Paulo's swanky Shopping Iguatemi mall, allows the customer to pick the material and the type of leather sole and the staff helps with the different ways to wear the straps. In the end, you're getting more than just one sandal—a good deal. Creator and native Patricia Gasparian, who studied in the U.S. at Parsons and was on Diane von Furstenberg's creative team, scours the city for vintage clothes, curtains, leather and fabric swatches to turn into pretty, eye-catching straps. Gasparian’s inspiration was to sell an idea rather than a product, and this DIY ethic appeals to even the more money-laden clientele that the shop has. Check out the website to see demonstrations of how the sandals can be laced.