Island Slipper and Noah Add British-Braided Leather to a Sandal With Nearly 80 Years of Hawaiian Craft Behind It
The collaborative thong sandal pairs hand-braided leather straps made by British artisans with a real suede base from one of Hawaii’s oldest continuously operating sandal manufacturers.
Name: Island Slipper x Noah
Colorway: TBC
SKU: TBC
MSRP: ¥41,800 JPY (approx. $260 USD)
Release Date: July 11
Where to Buy: Noah
Noah and Island Slipper are releasing a collaborative sandal on July 11, applying hand-braided leather straps made by British craftspeople to a real suede base built on the Hawaiian label’s signature silhouette.
The partnership makes sense when you look at how Noah has historically approached collaboration. Since Brendon Babenzien launched the label in 2015 after departing Supreme, Noah has operated with a consistent editorial logic: find brands with genuine manufacturing heritage, respect the silhouette, and elevate the materials. The roster tells that story clearly. Barbour’s waxed jackets, Sperry’s boat shoes, Vans’ classic skate silhouettes, New Balance’s running platforms: Noah treats each as a canvas that already works and layers in craftsmanship upgrades that make the object feel considered without making it feel redesigned. Island Slipper fits that playbook precisely.
Island Slipper has been manufacturing sandals in Honolulu since 1946, making it one of the longest-running sandal producers in Hawaii. The company built its reputation on handcrafted leather and suede thong sandals made on the islands, occupying a space where resort wear meets genuine artisan production. In an era when most sandal manufacturing has moved offshore and toward synthetic materials, Island Slipper’s continued commitment to leather craftsmanship and Hawaiian production has kept the brand relevant to a niche of buyers who care about provenance.
For Noah’s take on the sandal, the base model remains Island Slipper’s signature thong silhouette in real suede, preserving the foundation the manufacturer is known for. The modification is focused and singular: the band, the strap that crosses the foot, has been reworked in hand-braided leather produced by British artisans. Braided leather is a technique that requires the hide to be cut into uniform strips and interwoven by hand, a process that introduces a visual and tactile texture distinct from a flat-cut strap. The decision to source that braiding from British craftspeople rather than applying it domestically adds a transatlantic layer to a sandal that already carries Hawaiian provenance in its suede base. It is a characteristically Noah move: quiet, specific, and rooted in the idea that where something is made and who makes it matters as much as what it looks like.
The result is described as carrying a luxurious quality characteristic of Noah’s broader aesthetic. That tracks with how the label has consistently operated at the intersection of casual silhouettes and elevated execution, producing pieces that read as relaxed in form but deliberate in material.
