Head to toe collaboration: Havaianas X New Era

Summer is not over, though after a couple of recurring heatwaves, the temperature in the UK seems to have dived this week.  While many people are staying put in the UK rather than travelling overseas as the Covid-19 pandemic is still not under control in many holiday destinations, then comes news that Gatwick Airport in London is planning to axe up to 600 jobs in a 'signifcant restructure' due to the impact of the pandemic on passenger and air traffic numbers. Quarantine measures from tourist hotspots have reported to have damaged hopes of a summer of recovery for the airline industry, with redundancies reported at airlines including Ryanair, British Airways, Virgin and Jet2.   

So with Staycation very much the latest holiday trend, sunseekers are looking on the bright side and keep local economies going around the country while enjoying the government's summer scheme of "Eat Out to Help Out" to support the hospitality industry.

So it is also great to hear that the go-to Brazilian brand for over a half-century of trendy flip-flops and shoes Haavaianas is helping famous hat brand New Era to celebrate its 100th anniversary.  The two brands well-known in their respective corner of the fashion arena are cooperating with a capsule collection of bucket hats, trucker hats, classic caps and flip-flops. 

The exclusive New Era X Havaianas collaboration feature seven products
 in a range dubbed as “Step into Joy”.  

All items feature both brands’ logos, with both the Trucker style and 9Twenty classic hat including New Era’s signature silver stamp, identifying them as a signature New Era style. The limited-edition collection is available beginning today on Havaianas.com and select Havaianas stores. 

New Era Havaianas 9FORTY Trucker cap, finished in an army green and white colourway.  The contoured crown benefits from mid and rear mesh panels for a cooler wear. A Havaianas rubber badge is applied to the front of the design and New Era traditional flag logo is embroidered to the left. The curved 'sandwich’ visor features the Havaianas logo jacquard to the lip and boasts a stand-out, colour-contrasting underside.
 A snap closure at the rear allows for versatile sizing.

The exclusive collaboration feature seven products in a range dubbed as “Step into Joy”.  The line consists of two TOP style flip flop prints, a bucket hat, a single color 9FORTY cap and a 9TWENTY cap with four colour variations. All the items have the identities of both brands, such as a rubber icon on the caps. The products were designed to play around with combinations, as each flip flop print matches a cap/bucket hat.

Visual Identity

The creation process started by focusing on the strengths of the two brands; the cap and the flip flops, and then came the creation of a character that translates exactly the following essence: Havaianas on your feet and New Era on your head.

To heighten this story, two artists were invited to translate the visual identity created for the collab into art. Consequently, the New Era street moods and the Havaianas colourful, cheerful style have also become stickers. Patricia Leda, advertising professional by training and book illustrator, and Bruno Menon, illustrator working closely with the fashion universe, accepted the challenge and co-created stickers that are part of the collection and serve as shareable pills of art.

The campaign visual identity was created and executed by W3haus advertising agency. "We observed the customization behavior that people have with stickers on their computers, clothes, bikes, and surfboards and we believed that it could be a path to get closer to the public and be a feat with the collection. In the first internal presentation, everyone wanted a collab sticker to call their own. As co-creation is one of the processes that we like the most here at W3, the idea of bringing two artists together to collaborate was a natural path, that is why we called in Patrícia Leda and Bruno Menon to sign the campaign with us," says Daniele Almeida, creative director at W3haus. In this creative process, the brands also got involved and suggested the mascots and elements that they would like to see represented.

The products are already available on each of the brands e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores.

Beat the Monday Blues - Plan a Staycation or simply have a cup of Tea!

Never mind the gloomy weather.  If it's not for Blue Monday, I'd probably feel more positive about today.

But the third Monday of the year (that's 16th January this year) aka Blue Monday is reported to be the most depressing day of the year. With the New Year in full swing, diets and fitness routines beginning and the gloomy weather dampening our spirit, it is no wonder many are feeling down in the dumps.

Salcombe Pocket Square in 100% silk twill with hand-rolled hems by David Watson, available at In-spaces.com
 David Watson collaborates with local artists creating classic British designs made in Britain.
Image is originally by Claire Henley who painted the scene after sevel holidays with her family in Salcombe sailing, in South Devon, UK.  She uses an acrylic paint to create a variety of textures bringing the harbour alive.

Clayton John Ainger, a motivational speaker and author of best-selling book The Ego’s Code, describes how negativity is in fact, a very natural and normal process. “By labelling negativity as bad, we provide it with more fuel. By changing our perspective on negativity and the meaning behind it will undoubtedly have a positive effect on your life. Feeling down is not meant to hinder you, it is there to learn from, so embrace your negativity and move on,” he says.

So to beat the Monday blues, some of us would opt to book a sunny break or a holiday at this time of the year when travel agents and airlines are offering great deals.  Getting time away from the daily grind of work and commute can help break our stress cycle, surely and help promote positivity.

But if our bank balance doesn’t allow for an extravagant vacation abroad, especially with the weakening British Pound Sterling, how about a long weekend away and take a rural escape from city life.  Judging from artist Claire Henley's acrylic painting of the Salcombe Harbour (see image above), a "staycation" to South Devon in the UK can do the trick nicely.

Apparently even having a cup of tea can improve our sense of "wellth".

A Tea Caddy from Graceandgloryhome.co.uk to store your specialty, or favourite teas. 

According to experts, tea has a range of psychological and physical health benefits that can improve our wellbeing. Used for centuries across the world to help with relaxation, improve spirituality, nourishment and healing, speciality teas have a range of exciting ingredients that promote health. 

“Studies reveal that tea can increase blood flow, lower anxiety and improve sleep quality and blends such as peppermint, rooibos and green can fight against insomnia, regulate blood sugar and stimulate your metabolism”, explains Paresh Thakkar, founder of O-teas.com