After spending some of her career working in fast fashion, Flipslide founder Rebecca Rennie wanted to create something a bit more sustainable.
“A simple shoe that wouldn’t go in and out of fashion, and could be made from natural materials and with minimal waste,” she says.
Rennie’s worked in product development, design, buying and production for wholesale and retail labels including Cotton On and Mimco for the last 10 years, and had always dreamed of starting her own label.
Then, while on maternity leave in 2019, she launched a crowdfunding campaign that ended up raising more than $11,000.
The funds allowed her to launch Flipslide, a footwear label that combines elements of both thongs and slides.
A set of Flipslides costs $39, and the shoes can be customised for people with wider or narrow feet. They’re pigmented with eco-friendly dyes and the shoes come in six colours – black, dusty rose, river sand, wild mustard, Daintree green and denim blue – and in five sizes.
“I grew up wearing Havaianas all the time,” Rennie says. “Then I just kind of stopped wearing them one day when my last pair broke. So I was trying to create an alternative to that easy, go-to slip-on shoe for the beach and beyond.”
Unlike some other thongs which use synthetic rubber (derived from petroleum and harmful to the environment), every component of a pair of Flipslides is made from sustainably sourced all-natural rubber. Flipslides are now also all made in Melbourne.
“The design really evolved from a lot of trial and error and cardboard mock-ups,” Rennie says. “I hadn’t worked with natural rubber before, so there was a lot of learning along the way. Colour-wise, I was inspired by nature; there are so many beautiful colours in our landscapes and flora that I love.”
The shoes are waterproof, durable, and feel supportive and comfortable. “And [there’s no] annoying toe post,” Rennie says.
Flipsides cost $39.
This article was updated in October 2022.
