Cabaia, from the flop of the flip-flop to the top of the backpack

Originally, the brand was supposed to be called Copacabaia, a thinly veiled homage to Havaianas, by a young startuper fascinated by the business model of the Brazilian flip-flop, a timeless, colorful, intergenerational, and universal basic. Looking for an equivalent to found his company, Bastien Valensi decided to launch the most opposite product, both literally and figuratively: the beanie. "If Havaianas generates $1.4 billion with a flip-flop, I can make $1 billion with a beanie," estimates the young Frenchman. Especially since it's not just any beanie: a model with interchangeable pompoms, a series of which he has had produced in Poland and which he has been selling since November 2015 in a pop-up store in Vélizy 2. Beyond the warming accessory, it's the principle of the ready-made Christmas gift that will appeal to customers passing through the shopping center. The concept snowballed, but after the end-of-year holidays, the hat survived.

Joined by Émilien Foiret…