Barbie Ferreira's Havaianas Collab Is a Love Letter to Brazil (and Her Grandma)

When Barbie Ferreira arrived at the Vogue Ball in Copacabana earlier this year wearing custom Havaianas — we called the veiled look "Birth of Venus" meets Virgin Mary — it was a stealthy sneak peek at her collaboration with the beloved Brazilian sandal brand. Now, she's ready to debut the full collection, which draws from her Brazilian heritage and her style-icon grandma's personal tastes. Just in time for summer, the pattern-filled, vacation-ready drop includes sandals, pins, and more, with each and every piece getting the Barbie seal of approval.

"When I was a baby, I had baby Havaianas. Every year for Christmas, I get a little gift and then I get a pair of Havaianas just since I was a kid," Ferreira says of her history with the brand. "So, my house is filled with all sorts of Havaianas: from Brazil, from the states, everywhere. And I remember when my mom would go to Brazil, she'd always bring me back a bunch of pairs, too."

Having those signature flip-flops as a baby should be enough to imagine Ferreira steeped in the brand's sun-soaked DNA, but she wanted to give her own spin to a capsule collection, incorporating prints and colors that she loves. The collection is so close to her, in fact, that anyone who picks up a pair will be getting a piece of her heart and home, almost literally.

"I have a house that I bought a couple of years ago and I decorate it myself and do all that stuff. So, for me, I was really into making these flip-flops into the colors of my house, which is this kind of muddy colors with pops of mint and yellows and brown and green," Ferreira says of where she pulled the unique shades splashed across the sandals and packaging for enamel pins. "Then, I had this idea of getting really fun asymmetrical tiles. I looked up some patterns for tiles and murals, things that remind me of Brazil."

And while flip-flops are well-represented in Ferreira's work with Havaianas, there are also solid-colored slides (squishy and infinitely comfortable, naturally) available alongside pins that get even more personal than patterns pulled from the actress's abode. The pins are pulled from her body of work, literally: they're her tattoos. The fanged heart symbol is on her ribs. The printed sandals include a bubbly, circular pattern ("It kind of reminds me of a little spotted banana or a giraffe," Ferreira says of the pattern, which she singled out as her favorite.) and more angular geometric offerings, both blending shades of yellow and cocoa alongside minty green and russet. The actress hopes that this is just the beginning of a long relationship with the storied Brazilian sandal company, though she's not making any promises (yet).

"I love thinking of new things to put on it," she says of the go-to flip-flop silhouette before hinting at what's to come if she's given the chance for a sophomore collection. "It's like the dream to customize your own Havaianas, you know what I mean? We'll see."

Back to those statement-making sandals for Vogue Ball, though. They were a DIY creation that Ferreira worked on with her longtime stylist, Chris Horan (another collab that's making fashion history), but he's not the only one influencing the star's style. Ferreira also credits her tastes to her grandmother, who lives in Brazil and, from the way Ferreira's eyes light up when she recalls her grandma's 'fits and fierceness, should be on everyone's fashion radar.

"My family loves to go big and are very stylish. I get a lot of my style inspiration from my grandma, who wears big gold hoops and has a shaved head and wears a lot of kaftans or beautifully colored jumpsuits," Ferreira shares. "My grandma is a style icon in my eyes. I think in Brazil, people there really love vibrancy. It's like, beautiful jewelry and having everything with a particular style."

She also believes that anyone can wear a pair of Havaianas on a big night, with or without the help of a stylist.

"Flip-flops look amazing with a ton of clothes, and I wanted to elevate it and keep it kind of in the red carpet world," she says of her one-of-a-kind Chris Horan creation. "For me, the lacing of it all was cool. I think anyone could kind of DIY, like those little flowers that we customized it with and all that good stuff. Getting creative with arts and craft stuff is really fun."

As everyone gets ready for summer — with a pair of Barbie Ferreira x Havaianas packed in their luggage, Ferreira hopes — the Euphoria alum hopes to take things easy. 

"Hopefully, I get some time off and see what I'm going to do. Maybe go to Europe, or I want to go to Brazil at the end of the year," Ferreira says of her own plans. For anyone hoping for a trip south of the equator or a hop across the Atlantic, Ferreira does have a few tips for fans hoping to travel in style.

"I think my travel essentials have to be — if I'm going somewhere hot — I love a little portable fan that I can have in my hand. I mean, that's just like everything," she shares. "Definitely a really nice airport look that's just really comfortable like a tracksuit or a matching set. A good fragrance is always nice."

The Barbie Ferreira x Havaianas is collection available now on www.havaianas.com.