Teal colored Rainbow flip flops, made in honor of UNCW, will be sold exclusively at the bookstore in Fisher Student Center starting summer of 2008.

“We want to get them in the store by orientation so we can market and sell them to incoming freshmen,” senior creator Ryan Kawamoto said.

The new teal Rainbows cost $45 and are offered in a variety of sizes for both men and women. The soft rubber material is water resistant to stains, and the straps are colored teal while the bottom sole is navy blue.

“So far they’ve been a big hit,” Kawamoto said. “Lots of students, staff and faculty really like them.”

“I think it’s a really creative idea,” freshman Whitney Wilson said. “I’m definitely going to buy a pair.”

Senior Ryan Kawamoto came up with the idea for teal Rainbows a little over a year ago, after learning that North Carolina is the second leading state in sales for Rainbow behind California.

“I thought it would be cool if they were our school colors,” Kawamoto said. “It [the idea] started off as something small and then the company ended up creating them exclusively for our campus.”

Kawamoto first e-mailed the sales department of Rainbow and received a response a week-and-a-half later, referring him to a higher authority.

“He said it was a great idea and had always wanted to make them [the flip flops] in colors for universities,” Kawamoto said.

After talking with contact Pat Huber for a year via e-mail and phone, the idea was finally put into action. Kawamoto sent him the codes for our school colors and ordered the first shipment.

“It’s very rewarding how someone who never met me, a college student, had so much trust in me,” Kawamoto said.

A contact negotiation was made through the UNCW bookstore and the first shipment of 1,200 Rainbows totaled $30,000, paid for by Barnes and Noble.

Kawamoto got lots of feedback from students in his sales class, friends, family and faculty members. He also presented them at the Board of Trustees meeting April 25, 2008. He said everyone in attendance seemed pleased and excited.

“We’re going to do a trial run and if they go off the shelves fast we can order more as necessary,” Kawamoto said. “Hopefully they will be a big success and we can get a longer contract with Rainbow.”

While Kawamoto admits that it was a lot of work to research shipping, obtain a contract, determine what sizes were needed and deal with money issues, he finds the experience to be extremely worthwhile.

“I hope when I come back [to UNCW] in a few years they’re still selling them,” Kawamoto said. “It will be very rewarding to see people walking around campus wearing them.”