The Southern California surfer staple foot wear, Rainbow Sandals, seems to have crept inland and can be heard flipping and flopping down Bruin Walk as students rush to class. The shoes date back to 1974 when Jay Longley began making these sandals by hand. He hoped to create sandals that surfers could wear constantly and built his brand around durability and comfort rather than trendy fashion. However, over the years they have become a part of UCLA’s students unofficial uniforms.
In the last year, the population of Rainbow Sandal owners grew from surfers and students growing up in Southern California to almost everyone I know — including myself. You can hear the thunderous slapping of the sandals in stairwells throughout campus, or find litters of them when people are asked to leave their shoes by the door. While Rainbow Sandals run a steep price, it is with good reason due to their leather material and durability. However, many UCLA students do not require the sandals’ surfer-level strength that was designed for trekking across rocks, so their choice to invest must come with aesthetic motivations.
But where did this trend come from? To answer this question, I simply needed to go to the source, and I did not have to go far.
First, I asked myself: “Why did I spend $70 on flip-flops?” While I wish that my answer was something about their high-quality leather material or their durability for outdoor activities, it was much simpler: I thought they were cute and everybody has them.
I then asked my friends and received similar responses, “I wanted flip-flops because I like how they look with my outfits and my friends who wear them recommended them,” Willow Fladeland, a second-year psychobiology student, said.
Christine Yusin, a second-year psychology student, also said “I like to have shoes that I can just slip on and go to class and everyone said rainbows were the best flip-flops.”
The love of these flip-flops runs so deep that people are willing to endure the pain of breaking them in and waiting for them to mold to their feet. However, this painful process seems to be worth it. “Once I broke them in they became the most comfortable shoes ever,” Fladeland said.
Both the effortless style and practicality that these shoes embody seem to be a hit among UCLA students. With busy college schedules filled with classes, work, clubs and social events, the convenience of shoes you can just slip on instead of tying laces becomes meaningful. With the hot Los Angeles weather, it makes sense that students want to wear flip-flops, and it seems that students have collectively landed on the Rainbow brand.
