Ipanema sandals by Gisele Bundchen have taken the world by storm!

I first saw this sandals when I was in Vivocity, Singapore and was taken in by their funky design and colours. I thought that their style of advertising which featured a sexy Gisele Bundchen wearing little more than feathers and sandals a really unique form of advertising. Unfortunately, at that time, the price tag in Singapore dollars was more than what I was prepared to pay for.

Recently, however, I found that Ipanema sandals have made giant strides into Kuala Lumpur too! Last weekend, I made a trip to the Royal Sporting House to check them out. They had a medium sized range of Ipanema sandals and flip-flops available, including their latest 2008 range. The 2008 range came in very pretty colours with matching straps with tiny bits of glitter guaranteed to thrill any girl! :)

The beauty of the Ipanema sandal is that it is made of 100% rubber. This makes it really flexible, soft and comfortable on the feet. Their simple and sleek design and straps too is so much more appealing to me than the Crocs craze that hit not too long ago. When I tried on the sandals, I found that they were so light that I hardly felt that I was wearing sandals. They are also noiseless which means you can sneak up on others unnoticed! ;)

I did some research and found that the company that produces the Ipanema sandals, Grendene, supports the Brazilian charity ‘Socioambiental’ which aims to clean the waters of the Xingu River which runs through the Amazon National Reserve. The Kisedje are one of 18 tribes that live in this national park and therefore are affected by the polluted river, caused by deforestation in the north. The Kisedje Tribe is the face of the charity’s campaign, ‘Y Ikatu Xingu’, meaning, clear and pure waters of the Xingu. Monies from the factory’s profits generated by this range of Ipanema sandals will go to the charity which aims to prevent pollution by re-education and re-planting.

I was also surprised to find out that not only has the Indian culture been the inspiration for this range, the Indians themselves have designed the graphics and produced all of the accessories used in the promotional film! The Kisedje tribe will receive a royalty for every pair sold and each pair comes with a swing ticket which explains the project to the consumer.

So, if you would like to do your bid for the Kisedje tribe and the Xingu River, plus get a fantastic pair of sandals that are incredibly comfortable and hip, run out and get a pair of Ipanemas today!

You can find the Ipanema sandals in Royal Sporting House or Why Pay More stores retailing for RM69.90 a pair. However, do be prepared for them to not have your size as they are literally flying off the shelves! I have to wait another 6 months for new stock to be in to get one in my size! :(