It’s that time of year again when people line up like crazy to get their hands on a pair of customized flip-flops. Make Your Own Havaianas (MYOH), now on its eighth year, celebrates this occasion by going back to its roots in Brazil.

“Since we’re in a new venue this year—we had the opportunity to work with Ayala Malls—the setup is more open to the public, so it’s a great opportunity to educate them about the brand and where it’s really rooted. Also, Brazil is on the map this year; there’s the World Cup and they’re gearing up for the Olympics next year,” says Anne Arcenas-Gonzalez, managing director of Terry SA Inc., Havaianas’ distributor in the Philippines.

This year’s MYOH event has been moved to the Glorietta Activity Center. In keeping with tradition, the customizable flip-flops come in different mix-and-match colors and soles, with limited-edition printed soles and decorative pins.

The 2014 commemorative soles feature printed “bonfims.” Bonfims are wish ribbons worn for good luck. Each bonfim is wrapped around the wrist and secured with three knots—the wearer makes a wish with every knot tied, and the wish is believed to come true when the bonfim ribbon falls off the wrist naturally. Bonfims are a 200-year-old tradition in Brazil.

Playful culture

The decorative pins used to spruce up and customize your Havaianas are all symbolic of Brazil’s fun and playful culture, like a Brazil jersey and football, drums, a glass of caipirinha

t0516Y-tatin_feat8_2 — FIRST-TIMERS Oksana Bernal (UST) and Alyssa Bernal (San Beda College) were referred to the program by Bedan Carlo Aban, who’s on his third year of flip-flop duty.

(Brazil’s national cocktail), a peacock feather, a bikini and a round-eyed parrot head.

Another tradition that MYOH observes annually is the hiring of students as the event’s flip-flop assemblers. Back when Anne and her team were conceptualizing the logistics of the first MYOH event, they wanted sales people who could think on their feet while making flip-flops.

“It’s really the kind of job where you have to think on the fly, and it’s also a challenge because you work with your hands and it’s very technical,” explains Anne.

They explored the idea of hiring students from top universities. “They’re fluent in English, they know the trends, they’re great with interacting, they work hard, and the customers enjoy that they speak the same language,” says Anne.

t0516Y-tatin_feat8_3 — OVERWHELMED by the choices at MYOH? Ask a student assembler to help you out.

In the beginning, the team in charge of the event had to recruit students; but now the event has gotten so popular that the events team had to hold interview screenings because of the huge number of student applicants who wanted to become assemblers.

Each student assembler undergoes two weeks of training before the event. The training combines customer interaction and technical training on how to assemble different pairs.

“Opening night is the real challenge for them,” says Anne. “But every day they get more confident, and they even give customers style advice when they can’t decide,” she adds.

Some student assemblers enjoy the experience so much that they join every year. Jylla from Assumption, who made our customized flip-flops, is on her fifth year as an MYOH assembler.

Fun, sweet stories

There are plenty of fun and sweet stories behind each assembler, according to Anne. One of their “graduates” from the MYOH program went on to work at Rockwell.

Another assembler became a well-known blogger, and she is now attending the event as a guest.

Still another former student assembler met her future husband when she customized Havaianas for him. The two just got married and even got one of the event organizers as their

t0516Y-tatin_feat8_4 — A student assembler hired by MYOH because of his ability to think on the fly, offer style advice and interact with customers.

godfather in the wedding!

We chatted with three student assemblers—siblings Alyssa and Oksana Bernal who were first-timers; and Carlo Aban, who was on his third year of duty. Alyssa and Carlo are from San Beda College, while Oksana is from the University of Santo Tomas. “It’s a very fun way to spend summer while bulking up your résumé,” says Alyssa.

Carlo’s advice for newbie assemblers: “Just relax, don’t panic, and always smile.”

The three are unanimous in recommending the lake green soles as this event’s must-have color, and predict that the monkey pin will be the most popular embellishment this year. “Make Your Own Havaianas is a great way for people to express themselves year-round,” says Alyssa.

And what are the perks of being an MYOH assembler? “You get a free pair!” Alyssa says with a laugh. “You make connections and friends,” says Carlo. “And, you develop automatic muscles!” Oksana adds with a grin while flexing her biceps.

For more information, visit Havaianas Philippines on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/havaianasphilippines), Twitter and Instagram (@havaianasphils).

PHOTOS BY TATIN YANG