A havaianas ad campaign featuring fernanda torres sparked a boycott from right-wing supporters, who saw the line 'don't start 2026 with the right foot' as a political jab. Yet, stores in são paulo and rio de janeiro reported steady crowds and even lines during the holiday season. Alpargatas shares, the brand's parent company, rebounded and rose 4.46% on the stock exchange.
The controversy erupted on sunday, december 21, 2025, with the launch of havaianas' year-end campaign starring fernanda torres. In the ad, the actress states: “Sorry, but i don't want you to start 2026 with the right foot. No, it's not against luck, but let's agree: luck doesn't depend on you, right? It depends on luck. What i wish is for you to start the new year with both feet”. The line was seen by supporters of former president jair bolsonaro as a dig at conservatism, prompting boycott calls on social media.
Politicians like eduardo bolsonaro (pl-sp) and nikolas ferreira (pl-mg) slammed the brand, with eduardo bolsonaro discarding his havaianas flip-flops. The calçados guarani store in brusque (sc) sold out its stock at r$ 1 in protest, stating: “We will no longer work with the brand indefinitely, due to the brand's provocation against the conservative population”. Despite this, managers of five stores in são paulo told folha de s.paulo there was no change in foot traffic, with lines at two locations. Afp photos show queues in rio de janeiro.
Opinions among interviewees varied. Retiree giácomo bianchini, 72, a self-declared bolsonaro supporter, bought a pair under his wife's pressure despite disliking the ad. Zuleica maranhão, 69, dismissed it as “nonsense” and bought several for gifts: “Product is product, politics is politics”. Singer roberta miranda mocked the situation online: “It's really crazy. People are going to 25 de março, buying havaianas to cut and throw away”. She advocated dialogue: “I have a family i love, they have their party, their political preference, i respect it and they respect mine”.
Financially, alpargatas shares dropped 2.4% on monday, 22, but rose 4.46% on tuesday, 23, closing at r$ 11.95, with a 113% yearly gain. The brand added 150,000 instagram followers, while rival ipanema doubled theirs in 48 hours. Analysts view the episode as short-term noise, praising the restructuring under ceo liel miranda, with net profit up 199% in q3 to r$ 171.3 million.
