Danish broadcaster DR reports that the simple plastic flip-flop was the defining fashion item of summer 2026 in Denmark, from city streets to Copenhagen Fashion Week in August.
In a culture feature published September 3, DR describes the flip-flop, or klipklap in Danish, as the summer’s dominant trend. Gustav Hagild, host of the P1 program “Første række”, said he could not visit a Danish city without seeing young people wearing them.
Hagild asked stylist and art historian My Fournais for an explanation. According to Fournais, there was a wave of flip-flops in the Copenhagen metro, on the bike lanes and everywhere else, worn across all age groups.
The trend was also noticed abroad. The New York Times covered the shoes while in Copenhagen for Copenhagen Fashion Week in August. The paper wrote that a muted shoe completed a series of elegant and well-coordinated looks.
British Vogue also noted the flip-flop’s firm grip on shoe fashion in Denmark. DR notes that the shoe is linked to the so-called scandi cool aesthetic, which has become a status marker outside the Nordic region.
Two explanations for the trend
Fournais gives two reasons for the popularity. The first is practical, as the shoe is cheap, easy to move around in and easy to slip off.
The second is that the ordinary has become a status symbol. Per Fournais, many attendees at the fashion week wore flip-flops from the Brazilian brand Havaianas, combined with expensive clothing. She describes it as a signal that the wearer could have chosen other shoes but deliberately did not.
From palm leaves to 6,000 kroner
As explained by Fournais, the design is thousands of years old and traces back to ancient Egypt, where it was made from palm leaves. Versions were also used in Rome, Greece and across much of Asia, including India, China and Japan.
The Japanese zori, originally made of straw, was brought home by Americans after World War II. It inspired the flip-flop, which was mass produced in the 1950s and 1960s and became part of surf culture. The English name comes from the sound of the plastic slapping against the foot and the ground.
Prices vary sharply. Havaianas models cost 200 to 300 kroner depending on the version, DR reports. The logo-free “Dune” sandal from the brand The Row sells for around 6,000 kroner and fits the quiet luxury trend.
The expensive versions have drawn wide coverage. The Guardian asked in 2025 whether flip-flops could ever be worth 5,900 kroner. Fournais calls it a shoe where, in her words, if you know, you know.
