Flip flops are a type of footwear that is made up of a flat bottom which is held loosely on the foot by the Y-shaped band which usually passes between your 1st and 2nd toes and after that about either side on the foot. It is generally used as casual shoes. The initial models with this design of shoes originated as early as the ancient Egyptians around 4000 B.C.. The label flip flop has been used since at least the 1960’s to refer to this type of shoes and originated from the sound produced by the footwear when walking wearing them. Flips flops have a variety of labels in various places including thongs or sometimes pluggers in Australia, jandals in New Zealand, slops in South Africa and tsinelas from the Philippines.
The original Egyptian type of them were created from papyrus in addition to palm leaves. In Africa, the Maasai crafted flip flops from raw hide. In the Indian subcontinent as well as neighboring nations, these were created from timber. Rice straw was adopted within some Asian countries. In early Greece, the toe band was worn between the 1st and 2nd toes, whereas Roman variants placed the strap amongst the 2nd and 3rd toes. In Mesopotamia the band was in between the 3rd and 4th toes. The present day form of the flip flop came into common use in the United States when troops getting back from World War II introduced Japan's zori back with them and they attracted attention during the 1950s. At the end of the 50's the vibrant colorings begun to dominate the creations. The recognition was largely due to their comfort and convenience especially in seaside themed retail outlets as summer season footwear and have become associated with the beach way of living in Los Angeles.
The actual market size with the flip flops is difficult to check because of the range of producers that are in the market. It was reported that in 2009 that the size of the market had been in the vicinity of $20 billion making it a much bigger market compared to the size of the sneakers marketplace. The main portion of this marketplace are the made in huge amounts basic variants which are frequently made in China and Vietnam and will retail for a few dollars a pair. At the opposite end of the spectrum include the designer models that could be quite expensive for the retail store.
Between medical researchers you will find some debate about just how healthy the flip flops are for the foot. Even though the sole with the flip flop can protect the foot from the terrain, the insufficient cover with the top of the feet can expose the foot to trauma. This is especially critical in industrial environments where they may be banned. The sole is flat, and so the flip flops are not very supporting for people who might require additional arch support. The solution in this situation is to make use of the arch supporting flip flops, like the Archies brand that have an arch support included in these flip flops. These Archies were created by a physical therapist and are also very well liked around Australia. The band on flip flops does mean that the toes need to grasp to help hold these flip flops on the foot, which also could generate issues for some people.