Hoki pokey

June 24, 2008 - 9:06 PM by

Perched on the couch in her eclectic Neve Zedek apartment in Tel Aviv, designer Shlomit Slavin is a whirlwind of energy as she describes her transition from advertising executive to rubber sandal designer. Partnered and mother of two, Slavin was on one of her regular bike rides around the Big Orange when she spotted a pair of old-fashioned, navy blue rubber slides in a dusty Tel Aviv store.

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Struck by the simplicity and comfort of the crisscross design, she tracked down the original manufacturers who were happy to hand over the molds to Slavin, who began reproducing them in bold hues of red, white, yellow, purple and silver. Several months later, she was showing them at European and American shoe shows, and had orders from stores in France, Japan, Canada and across the U.S.

“These were sandals that were worn by old people, housekeepers, and religious women when they went to the mikvah (ritual bath),” says Slavin, a self-described lover and setter of style. “I had an older lady from Petach Tikva call me to complain that she’s been buying these for 40 years and now the price has gone up. So now I give a 50% discount to people who’ve been wearing them for years.”

Called the Hoki, which means street broom in Japanese — a nod to this simple slipper’s modest origins — Slavin is now transitioning to Hoki-like gladiator sandals and a selection of boots for the winter. But don’t compare them to Crocs; these flip-flops are comfortable, but hip. And Israeli-created and produced.

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