Flip-flops have officially entered their strange era. At Milan Fashion Week, Brazilian sandal giant Havaianas teamed up with MM6 Maison Margiela — Margiela's more everyday, contemporary line — for the first time, and the result is exactly what the name suggests: a rubber thong sandal with room for a sixth toe.
There are two designs. The Slim 6Toe keeps the classic Havaianas shape but stretches the front into an extra opening, giving the illusion of an additional toe. It comes in black, white and green, and is by far the more wearable of the pair. The Top 6Layers goes further: six stacked layers of uneven rubber form a wobbly platform, with flashes of red, green, blue and violet peeking out under a white strap that still reads unmistakably as Havaianas.
Here's the frustrating bit for anyone eyeing the colourful platform for next summer — the Top 6Layers was made for the runway only and won't go on sale. The broader collaboration, including presumably the Slim 6Toe, is slated for a May 2027 release.
The obsession with the number six isn't random. Maison Margiela's famous circled numbers each stand for a line of the house, and Line 6 is MM6 itself — so the whole collection is basically a love letter to its own logo. It's also very on-brand for MM6's design philosophy, which favours tweaking familiar objects just enough to unsettle you rather than reinventing them entirely.
For Havaianas, it's another step in a deliberate glow-up. The once purely beachy rubber sandal has become a fashion-week regular, with past collabs alongside Isabel Marant and Dolce&Gabbana, plus a tie-in with The Devil Wears Prada 2. Street-style crowds now style them with tailoring and dresses, not just swimwear.
Why should a traveller care? Because the humble flip-flop is, for many of us, holiday footwear — packed for beaches, hostels and hotel showers. A designer version with a fake sixth toe won't replace your trusty pair, but it signals that casual sandals are now legitimately fashionable, which means you'll likely spot more playful takes on them in shops and on the streets from Southeast Asia to the Amalfi Coast. If you want the MM6 pair specifically, set a reminder for May 2027 and expect them to sell out fast given the hype around Margiela collaborations.
Bottom line: whether you find the six-toe look funny, grotesque or weirdly appealing, it's the most talked-about sandal of the season — and a reminder that even the cheapest-feeling holiday staple can become a collector's item.
