Rainbow Sandals

Last updated
Rainbow Sandals
Industry Retail
Founded1974
FounderJay "Sparky" Longley
Headquarters,
United States
ProductsSandals
Website www.rainbowsandals.com
A pair of Rainbow flip flops demonstrating how they conform to the wearer's feet. Rainbows1.JPG
A pair of Rainbow flip flops demonstrating how they conform to the wearer's feet.

Rainbow Sandals Inc. was established in 1974 in Laguna Beach, California by Jay Longley and is currently based in San Clemente, California. The company specializes in men's and women's leather, hemp, and rubber flip-flops.

When Longley first started making sandals, [1] he was assembling 15 pairs per day out of leather and Malaysian rubber in the garage of his Laguna Beach home. [2] He relocated to San Clemente in 1974 and began manufacturing 1,200 pairs of sandals a day. Since 2002, Longley had to move 75% of production to China because of a solvent in the glue he uses. Longley had to install a catalytic oxidizer at his San Clemente factory that scrubs all the volatile organic compounds out of the glue before they are emitted into the air. He is legally allowed to make only 1,000 pairs per day in San Clemente. In China, they use a glue that has no volatile organic compounds. Longley cannot use this glue in California because it is too combustible under the fire code. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoe</span> Footwear

A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function but over time shoes also became fashion items. Some shoes are worn as safety equipment, such as steel-toe boots, which are required footwear at industrial worksites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Clemente, California</span> City in California, United States

San Clemente ) is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Diego, San Clemente is a popular tourist destination in Southern California, known for its beaches, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, and hospitality industry. San Clemente's city slogan is "Spanish Village by the Sea".

A sandal is an open type of outdoor footwear also known as a shoe

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slipper</span> Informal footwear

Slippers are a type of shoes falling under the broader category of light footwear, that are easy to put on and off and are intended to be worn indoors, particularly at home. They provide comfort and protection for the feet when walking indoors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flip-flops</span> Type of sandal

Flip-flops are a type of light sandal-like shoe, typically worn as a form of casual footwear. They consist of a flat sole held loosely on the foot by a Y-shaped strap known as a toe thong that passes between the first and second toes and around both sides of the foot. This style of footwear has been worn by people of many cultures throughout the world, originating as early as the ancient Egyptians in 1500 BC. In the United States the modern flip-flop may have had its design taken from the traditional Japanese zōri, after World War II as soldiers brought them back from Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zori</span> Flat Japanese sandals similar to flip-flops

Zori, also rendered as zōri, are thonged Japanese sandals made of rice straw, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber, or—most commonly and informally—synthetic materials. They are a slip-on descendant of the tied-on waraji sandal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geta (footwear)</span> Traditional Japanese open-topped wooden shoes

Geta (下駄) are traditional Japanese footwear resembling flip-flops. A kind of sandal, geta have a flat wooden base elevated with up to three "teeth", held on the foot with a fabric thong, which keeps the foot raised above the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandal</span> Type of footwear with an open upper

Sandals are an open type of shoe, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps going over the instep and around the ankle. Sandals can also have a heel. While the distinction between sandals and other types of footwear can sometimes be blurry, the common understanding is that a sandal leaves all or most of the foot exposed. People may choose to wear sandals for several reasons, among them comfort in warm weather, economy, and as a fashion choice. Usually, people wear sandals in warmer climates or during warmer parts of the year in order to keep their feet cool and dry. The risk of developing athlete's foot is lower than with enclosed shoes, and the wearing of sandals may be part of the treatment regimen for such an infection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slide (footwear)</span> Open-toed slip-on sandal

Slides or sliders are a type of light footwear that are characterized by having a loose heel that holds on to the foot from the front. Like flip-flops, they are typically employed in casual situations, in addition to being a unisex footgear worn by both sexes. Sliders are distinguished from flip-flops by their vamp strap which does not separate the big toe from the rest of the toes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethylene-vinyl acetate</span> Chemical compound

Ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), also known as poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) (PEVA), is a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. The weight percent of vinyl acetate usually varies from 10 to 50%, with the remainder being ethylene. There are three different types of EVA copolymer, which differ in the vinyl acetate (VA) content and the way the materials are used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New car smell</span> Common odor found in new cars

New car smell is the odor that comes from the combination of materials found in new automobiles, as well as other vehicles like buses, trucks, and aircraft. It constitutes of various elements such as new leather, plastics and textile interiors. Due to its liking, many automobile manufacturers have also started mimicking desired scents and utilising them to attract customers in show rooms. Although the scent is described as pleasant by some, there is some question about the possibility that these chemicals pose a health risk. A study in 2023 found that formaldehyde and acetaldehyde gases exceeded Chinese government safety standards, and researchers recommended that new car buyers drive with windows open.

Reef is a brand of casual sandals, known as flip-flops, created by two Argentine brothers, Fernando and Santiago Aguerre. In 1984, they moved from Argentina to the San Diego beach community of La Jolla, California, where they began Reef. Their product became popular amongst surfers and beach goers. Reef has subsequently grown into one of the world's leading active sandal manufacturers.

California's 49th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. The district is represented by Mike Levin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dress shoe</span> Shoe worn for formal or business dress

A dress shoe is a shoe to be worn at smart casual or more formal events. A dress shoe is typically contrasted to an athletic shoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huarache (shoe)</span> Traditional sandal of Mexico

Huaraches are a type of Mexican sandal, Pre-Columbian in origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange County Board of Supervisors</span> Five-member governing body of Orange County, California

The Orange County Board of Supervisors is the five-member governing body of Orange County, California along with being the executive of the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Havaianas</span> Brazilian footwear brand

Havaianas is a Brazilian brand of flip-flop sandals created and patented in 1962. It is currently owned by Brazilian manufacturing company Alpargatas S.A. Inspired by Japanese zori sandals, Robert Fraser became the first to mass-produce flip-flops out of rubber. The name Havaianas is derived from the feminine form of the Portuguese word for "Hawaiians", and the pattern on the soles of the sandals is designed to resemble the straw soles of zori. Originally, all Havaianas featured white insoles with colored outsoles and straps. Because of their simplicity and low price, the sandals became rapidly popular with Brazil's lowest social classes. However, now their popularity is generalized and the brand controls 80% of the Brazilian rubber slippers market: in fact, of every three Brazilians, two on average consume a pair of "Havaianas" per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peshawari chappal</span> Footwear

The Peshawari chappal is a traditional type of footwear of Pashtuns, worn especially by Pashtuns in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. The shoe takes its name from the city of Peshawar, where it originates. While chappal is the word for flip-flops or sandals in Urdu, locals in Peshawar call the Peshawari Tsaplay. The shoes are worn by men casually or formally, usually with the shalwar kameez. Because of their comfort, they are worn in place of sandals or slippers in Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaco (footwear)</span>

Chaco is an American brand of footwear best known for its product line of adjustable Z-strap sandals for outdoor and water use. The Chaco brand also provides a variety of outdoor-influenced fashion sandals, shoes, flip-flops, boots and accessories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Orange County Board of Supervisors election</span> Election in Orange County, California

The 2022 Orange County Board of Supervisors elections were held on June 7 and November 8, 2022. Three of the five seats of the Orange County, California Board of Supervisors were up for election. This was the first set of elections held after the 2020 redistricting cycle. County elections in California are officially nonpartisan. A two-round system was used for the election, starting with the first round in June. Runoffs were held in all three districts, as no candidate managed to reach the 50% + 1 threshold.

References

  1. Luppi, Kathleen (31 May 2015). "Rainbow Sandals founder's heart and sole are in flip-flops". LA Times.
  2. "The Morning Read: He's caught up in sandal". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  3. "Rainbows Owner: 3 of 4 Sandals Made in China Because of EPA Regs". patch.com. 20 February 2011. Retrieved 26 September 2018.