Slippers with socks leave the house and go out into the street
Those rubber slippers with a thicker stripe running down the foot, the sliders or sliders used with socks are nothing new in people’s lives. The controversial duo didn’t leave home until a few years ago and didn’t bother creating looks. They haven’t done that in the past.
The scenario has changed and the duo have taken to the streets at the feet of Generation Z, which is primarily focused on comfort.
“The slipper and sock is a love it or hate it story with no middle ground. The slider itself already evoked that feeling,” says stylist Drica Cruz. “I see this as a trend in Gen Z behavior, positioning and recovery from the pandemic.”
This week is the g1 publishes a range of reports to explain Gen Z’s new habits and fads: from slippers with socks and iPods to bleached eyebrows to more cautious parties.
1 of 8 Rihanna and her slipper collections for Puma Photo: Reproduction/Instagram Rihanna and her slipper collections for Puma Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
The pro spoke to him g1 to explain why we can see more slippers and socks on the streets.
- Pandemic
- Generation Z
- From dressing rooms to celebrities
For Drica, flipflops with socks and fashion for sweatshirts are still a recovery from the pandemic. “What happened is that comfortable clothes to stay at home took to the streets,” he says. “The big department store chains have committed themselves to fashion: roomy, comfortable shapes, nothing that holds people back or emphasizes the body too much.”
2 of 8 Marcos Mion, Nicole Prazeres and Ully Correa wearing flip flops and socks Photo: Reproduction/Instagram Marcos Mion, Nicole Prazeres and Ully Correa wearing flip flops and socks Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Slippers with socks go in the basket. “It was always a controversial combination to use at home. But with the pandemic, it became a fashion item because we wore it,” says Anderson Moraes, window designer and visual merchandiser who has worked in fashion for 16 years.
“It was demystifying and postpandemic, people started seeming more open and that we could go out in flip flops to feel more comfortable and look beautiful,” he says.
“It hits the road with more strength and of course it gets a reinterpretation of the brands, it’s more robust, with bigger soles. He stops being the little slide and comes up with a more robust proposal.”
However, the controversial composition should not please everyone, according to Drica. “It’s a very noticeable Gen Z trend. It should hardly be adopted by millennials, who are in their 40s or 50s,” he says.
3 of 8 Argentinian player Paulo Dybala is also a fan of socked flipflops Photo: Reproduction/Instagram Argentinian player Paulo Dybala is also a fan of socked slippers Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
“It’s a little bit about showing that I don’t care and I want to show that I don’t care. It has much more to do with behavior, with the positioning of a generation,” says Drica.
Moraes already believes the trend has the potential to break generational and fashionista barriers. “There will be normalization in the very near future,” predicts Moares.
4 of 8 Anderson Moraes, visual merchandiser, in slippers and socks Photo: Reproduction/Instagram Anderson Moraes, visual merchandiser, in slippers and socks Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
“It’s a rupture that’s happening right now. I see a cooler crowd using it, but there are already more people consuming it as a fashion item and look composition. Soon it will reach the masses because it will be featured on TikTok and Instagram.”
From dressing rooms to celebrities
This type of sandals gained market popularity in the 1970s when soccer players from Germany asked Adi Dassler, the founder of Adidas, for practical shoes for the dressing room. The Adilettes were presented, the most traditional, black or blue, with white stripes.
5 of 8 The Adilettes, flipflops for the German national team, 1970, in the 2023 version Photo: Reproduction/Adidas The Adilettes, slippers for the German national team, 1970, in the 2023 version Photo: Reproduction/Adidas
Other sports brands also bet on the model, which became an object to use at home, to go to the pool or to the beach, or for parents with questionable tastes.
The normcore footprint, the trend that has favored casual pieces in nonfashion looks since the early 2010s, opened the way for sliders to enter the scene (and leave the house), in many cases with socks. The movement was still accentuated in those years by the “ugly shoe” trend.
6 of 8 Justin Bieber slicking the look with flip flops and socks Photo: Reproduction/Instagram Justin Bieber slicking the look with slippers and a half Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Luxury brands like Celine, Balenciaga, Gucci, Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and many others are also sporting their versions of sliders, and celebrities like Justin Bieber have also adopted the style.
But it was the year of the pandemic that the combo caught on. An article in the British newspaper “The Guardian” noted that in the summer of this year (here in winter) slippers with socks became a composition that could be bet on.
An example of this, the article says, is a photo posted by former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, showing her husband David Beckham wearing black loafers with white socks. At that time, the term “socks and sandals” (translated “socks and sandals” in Portuguese) saw a 23.4% increase in internet searches in the UK.
7 of 8 Photo posted by Victoria Beckham in 2020 increased web searches for the term ‘socks and sandals’ in the UK Photo: Reproduction/Instagram Photo posted by Victoria Beckham in 2020 increased web searches for the term ‘socks and sandals’ in the UK Photo: Reproduction/Instagram
Drica explains that there aren’t many secrets to betting on the composition. “It’s democratic, isn’t it? It will depend a lot on whether the person wants to attract more or less attention,” says Drica. “You can rely on the mix of prints and colors. The girls can wear it with a dress and stockings.”
It is worth remembering that these are more relaxed compositions, used with shorts, sweatshirts, shorts, jeans and leggings for looks ranging from sportswear to summer afternoons. “It depends a lot on how the person views the environment they’re going into. If there’s an afternoon party, it’s a more neutral place, it can be cool,” Moraes puts the context. “It’s democratic, older and comfortable, right in the middle,” summarizes Drica.
8 of 8 Photo from the Lacoste campaign with youth flip flops and socks Photo: Reproduction/Instagram Photo from the Lacoste campaign with youth flip flops and socks Photo: Reproduction/Instagram