A pair of city-to-beach shoes, she offers, and maybe you’d hesitate for a bit, but eventually give in, completely convinced. Just like you did when she brought in Havaianas.
Anne Gonzalez, the woman who singlehandedly elevated the status of the lowly tsinelas in these shores, says she feels emboldened to bring in a new footwear concept, one you can wear, say, from Greenbelt to Boracay.
Gonzalez, who brought in the massively successful Brazilian flip-flop brand Havaianas in 2003, recently unveiled Praiaz, a neophyte brand from Rio de Janeiro—a move she says is complementary to what her company, Terry S.A., has been doing: growing the casual-footwear category in the country.
“I love Havaianas, but when I travel I want to have something [that’s not as overly casual as flip-flops],” she says. Praiaz’s style seems to fit the bill.
Made of ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), the same ultra-lightweight material used for making soles of athletic shoes, Praiaz is quite suited for the country’s year-round summer weather, says Gonzalez.
Much like Brazil’s, the brand co-founder Vincent Lelard points out.
Praiaz was inspired by the migration of Parisians to the sunny locale of Rio de Janeiro: the marriage of French chic style and the laid-back lifestyle of the carioca (a Rio local). As it turns out, in Rio, there’s a subculture now called the parioca—sophisticated urbanites living the life of a carioca, referring to Paris transplants like Lelard, who co-founded Praiaz with a carioca named Chantal Barrat. Lelard thinks his shoes are a true reflection of the parioca culture. (Praia means beach in Portuguese.)
Beach-y scents
Praiaz are breathable closed shoes that are waterproof so that you can go directly from Boracay’s White Beach to Caticlan to wherever else you’re headed without having to change your footwear. Since it’s made entirely of rubber-plastic-like material, smelly feet may become a concern in humid conditions. But the makers have anticipated that by infusing beach-y scents (coconut and vanilla) to the polymer.
There are four styles for Praiaz, two each for men and women. The Bonita, Bonito and Sarado are lace-free sneaker styles of varied color combinations. Nuvem, meaning “cloud” in Portuguese, is a ballet style that weighs a scant 38 grams. They retail for P1,995 a pair at 14 outlets like in Rustan’s, Aloha Boardsports, Common Thread.
Gonzalez says they’re aimed at ages 18-34, “but you know, style is more of a mind-set than age,” she points out.
Gonzalez’s success with Havaianas has opened a whole new category of footwear here, one that she’s steadily growing. Praiaz is the fourth
import in the Terry S.A. portfolio, which also includes Dupe, another Brazilian flip-flop brand that’s lower-priced than Havaianas; and Bensimon, a French sneakers brand.
Terry S.A. has also opened a mixed brand store called Common Thread, a showcase of their brands, including a homegrown casual wear label called Thread 365. Common Thread has branches in Malaysia and Singapore.
