Thongs are polarizing. You can either adore them or despise them. Ipanema thongs for women are something to drool over with their innovative, fashionable designs that help you set your foot in ultimate couture all day long. Let us dive into the history of the classic thongs as footwear in Australia!

What are Thongs in Australia?

A thong is a type of shoe or footwear in Australia. It is regarded as one of the oldest footwear styles out there in the world. 

Adorned by smaller variations in different parts of the world like Rome, Egypt, Greece, China, India, Korea, Latin America, and Japan, the shoe was typically designed to ensure the protection of the sole while keeping the foot’s top section cool and breathy.

Australians are known to have embraced the practical, yet liberating shoe culture in the form of ‘thongs.’ Get your favorite pair at Ipanema thongs and enrich your shoe collection.

Delving Into the History of Fashionable, Practical Thongs

The history of thongs or shoes goes back to the time of the Egyptians. It is believed that when Tut -the Boy King had had a hard day sacrificing humans, he got back in interesting flip-flops that were designed with the help of papyrus. 

The modern thong is a representation of western decadence and has been derived from the East. It is believed that soldiers who used to return from Japan’s American occupation during the Second World War used to adorn these comfortable and practical footwear pieces. The marines back then had stocked themselves up with a local variant -referred to as Zori. It was prepared with straw.

Thong is a linguistic extension of the Australian version of flip-flops. Thongs can be regarded as bangers or flip flops and even ‘jandals’ to the Kiwis. 

Thongs and Their Popularity Throughout History

When it comes to the history of thongs, Japan is regarded as a pivotal influence. The culture here features not only the closest ancestors to thongs (Zori -flat-soled footwear made of straw), but also bulky geta sandal (popularly worn by geisha for centuries). 

During the late 19th century, Japan had already started exporting this aspect of the culture to different corners of the world. A popular instance is the Hawaiian ‘slippah’. It is available as a thong-like version of Zori, with its origins in the footwear belonging to plantation workers in Japan during the 1880s. The footwear soon became the sartorial footwear code in Hawaii -like in Australia, it is regarded as the footwear for the perfect beach lifestyle and relaxed look. 

The overall popularity of this footwear might have spread out amongst US soldiers who were posted in the East Pacific during the Second World War. They brought back souvenirs in the form of thongs. 

The Concept of Downunderfoot

Even after the strong identification of thongs within Australia, details of the exact arrival are still not easy to conclude. For instance, from the moment of 1907, ads used to describe ‘Japanese Sandals’ in the form of jute soles or flexible wooden footwear.

In 1959, Australia’s Dunlop imported around 300,000 thongs from Japan. The company started producing the footwear range internally in 1960. As the overall industry of tourism took a boom in Australia during the 1960s, thongs took the central stage as the ultimate footwear of choice for a laid-back, egalitarian society. 

Benefits of Wearing Thongs

Most Australians wear thongs -especially if they are at the beach. When they are at home, people love wearing them casually as well. Natural thongs are light, inexpensive, and simple. This is the reason why some individuals prefer wearing them over other alternatives. Wearing thongs on a day-to-day basis can deliver several benefits, including:

  • Relaxing: Thongs or flip-flops are the most basic footwear styles in terms of overall comfort and functionality. Thongs help in securing your feet while enabling you to relax as well as enjoy yourself. 
  • More Independence Than Standard Shoes: You can get on a pair of classic thongs as they allow your feet to breathe more openly. 
  • Ease of Wearing: As flip-flops are lightweight, they are a common option amongst many people out there. The overall design is easy to wear and flaunt. 

Conclusion

Get the most of Australian fashion sense by wearing designer thongs from Ipanema.