The great social equalizer-Part I @ 聯合翻譯有限公司/聯合翻譯社

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Brazil's well-heeled socialites swear by them. Legions of slum-dwellers from the country's favelas don them almost every day. Minimum wage earners use them, as do newly minted millionaires and, alarmingly, construction workers.

In Brazil, literally everyone wears Havaianas, the now world-famous brand of rubber and plastic flip-flops that's celebrating its 50th birthday this year. Since their 1962 introduction, Havaianas have joined soccer and samba as one of the great social equalizers in Brazil.

Initially the workaday staples of the Brazilian poor, Havaianas have transcended their modest origins to become an object of desire the world over. They are now worn by Hollywood A-listers, European royals and suburban princesses from Seattle to Seoul.

"They're cool, colorful and chic," said Brazilian-born fashion consultant Abraao Ferreira. "They're quintessential of everything that people find appealing about Brazil." The numbers speak to that enduring popularity. Last year, 210 million pairs of Havaianas were sold worldwide. Even with 15 percent of total production exported overseas, enough of the sandals were sold in 2011 for nearly every man, woman and child in Brazil.

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