The sound of flip-flops slapping the bare skin of the bottom of feet signify the sounds of summer. We all hear it when the sun’s out and it instantly transports us to the thoughts of travels and holidays as the random flip-flops past us. So these new “Flip-Flops that don’t Flip-Flop” are quite bizarre and a struggle to get my head around. Apparently, it’s the new must-have fashion accessory due to its innovative strapless design.

How does it stay on the foot? How do you get it off? Is it comfortable? All these questions immediately spring to mind. The answers are that they cling to your foot via a clever water based adhesive that sticks to your foot making you feel as though you are walking on air without strap irritations, blisters or suntan lines. The creators, “Nude Sandals”, quote them to be cool and relaxing for the feet.

They need a bit of extra care than the usual flip-flops. They need to be brushed daily in soapy water to remove dirt sticking to the adhesive and the glue needs to be refreshed so you don’t find yourself suddenly finding yourself barefoot with your Nude Sandals being carried off on the train you just got off. Risky fashion accessory, but the novelty factor could be worth it! As Nude Sandals say, “Dare you go topless this summer?”.

Of course, they were invented in the U.S.A but they’ve been incredibly receptive in Australia and Canada. They’ve had minimal publicity but managed to sell 3,000 pairs after their launch! They’ve appealed to a range of ages, from elderly folks who love to dance and shock people in these strapless shoes (“Excuse me, did you know your Gran has just stuck foam to her bare feet?? Poor dear…”), to ladies who’ve found that they are the perfect footwear after a pedicure. No smudged nail polish for those nifty thinking ladies!

With studies showing that flip-flops can harbour more that 18,000 bacteria, including deadly germs, maybe these sticky ones will encourage hygiene as they need to be washed frequently to ensure the adhesive is still effective.

But despite that, I don’t know about you but I personally quite like my flip-flop tan line. When faced with reality at home, it acts like a little memory token from the holiday to remind me that I actually went at all!

image 1 via The Daily Mail, image 2 via Made in China, image 3 via S-Z Wholesale

 

Sophie Saint was one of the original travelettes, from 2009 – 2017. After fleeing the UK with ink barely dry on her graduation certificate, she traversed the world with a backpack and spent a few years living in Melbourne – one of her favourite cities in the world.

She finally returned to the UK after a few years where she now whiles time away zipping off for European escapes, crocheting and daydreaming of owning her own hostel somewhere hot to live out eternal summers. See what she’s up to over on her blog saintsonaplane.com and instagram: @saintsonaplane

Tags backpacking, clothes, fashion, flip-flops, fun, novelty, sandals, traveling