# Flip Flop Fixes Willi Footwear Offers a Boomerang Solution For an Unfortunate Flip Flop Blow-OUt By Alyson Wyers | Published 2014-08-02 | Fashion Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/flip-flop-blowout References: [lostateminor](http://www.lostateminor.com/2014/07/29/never-blow-thongs-thanks-aussie-company/) & [facebook](https://www.facebook.com/WilliFootwear) While flip flops are pretty comfortable, a common problem is the flip flop blow-out, which occurs when the thong portion of the shoe becomes detached from the rest and your sandals become ruined as a result (or at least tricky to fix). An Australian company is looking to change this with their [Interchangeable Thongs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/modular-footwear-design) line. Willi Footwear created an ingeniously simple feature to the bottom of their shoes. Rather than fixing the thong portion with a standard circle, the Willi shows incorporate a boomerang shaped piece that works similarly to plastic clothing tags. This offers a more secure fit and will prevent the dreaded flip flop blow-out from happening, meaning you get to enjoy your [casual and comfortable footwear](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/comfort-recovery-slide) for longer. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.5/10 - Popularity: 80% | Activity: 77% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/fashion) > [Shoes](https://www.trendhunter.com/shoes) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Interchangeable Thongs:** The trend towards interchangeable thongs presents a significant disruptive innovation opportunity for companies to improve the durability and versatility of flip flops. - **Alternative Fasteners:** The trend towards alternative fasteners such as boomerang shaped plastic tags on flip flops presents a significant disruptive innovation opportunity for companies to create more secure and durable footwear. - **Sustainable Footwear:** The trend towards sustainable footwear presents a significant disruptive innovation opportunity for companies to incorporate eco-friendly materials into the production of flip flops. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Footwear Manufacturing:** The footwear manufacturing industry has an opportunity to incorporate innovative technologies that improve the durability and versatility of flip flops. - **Retail:** The retail industry has an opportunity to offer consumers a wider variety of sustainable and durable footwear options like those that use alternative fasteners and interchangeable thongs. - **Material Science:** The material science industry has an opportunity to develop eco-friendly materials to be used in the production of flip flops that are both durable and sustainable. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Custom Adaptive Slipper Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/swapz-modular-slippers.md) - [Pool Slide Heeled Sandals](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/flipped-flop.md) - [Pavement Brick Sandals](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/unipaver.md) - [Stylish Slide Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/stylish-slide.md) - [Sustainable Modular Sneakers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/modular-sneaker-1.md) - [Chic Comfort-Focused Sliders](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/comfort-recovery-slide.md) - [Performance Clog Innovations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/originals-clog-2420.md) - [3d-Printed Collab Flip Flops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/3dprinted-flipflops.md) - [Reversible High-Top Unique Footwear](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bwd-high.md)