Reef Sandals & Flip Flops

Reef flip flops heritage can be traced back to Argentinean brothers, Fernando Aguerre and Santiago Aguerre. Both avid surfers, they set out to create a comfortable sandal that was suited to the active lifestyle of the beach and also offered a high level of quality. Their idea was to make sandals that would look good and would also last. This was the concept that eventually became Reef sandals. Santiago moved to California at the start of the 1980s. When his brother Fernando graduated, he headed to LA Jolla to join his brother and helped him co-found Reef and they began production of Reef sandals in earnest.

With a relatively small budget, a good deal of hard work and some inspired marketing ideas, the Aguerre brothers made Reef sandals and Reef flip flops a success. Fernando and Santiago had confidence in their product but knew that the key to product recognition was in the marketing. Coming from South America, they were all too familiar with the scantily clad, beautiful women to be found all over the sun-scorched beaches. Inspired by this, they developed the exotic and mysterious character of 'Miss Reef'. Without ever revealing the woman's face or her identity, the brothers used this element of mystery to add individuality to their brand and to make Reef synonymous with beauty and the exotic. Surfers who saw the original Miss Reef advertisements in their surfing magazines were clearly drawn to the beautiful figure-promoting Reef flip flops and the Reef brand. Since then, Miss Reef has grown to be something of an icon in the surfing world. The persona has continued to be a key component of the Reef sandals marketing strategy and the brand's massive success can be largely attributed to this one promotional idea. Now, there are even 'Miss Reef' competitions, when beautiful girls compete to be the embodiment of the Reef brand and the surfing lifestyle.

Reef flip flops are now available for men, women and children and in a variety of colours and styles. Today, their range encompasses street wear and even styles that would look equally at home worn in the evenings. Women's styles in particular offer a wide choice of looks and may be leather or composite, beaded, braided, embossed or printed. Twenty-five years after the Aguerre brothers started making Reef flip flops and Reef sandals, their company is recognised as a premier surf brand all over the world. Reef has developed from rather humble beginnings to also include a range of male and female swimwear to complement their popular footwear. The Reef Redemption initiative also has an eye on the environment. It aims to use green technology and environmentally friendly methods of production to minimize the company's impact upon our planet.