Grassroots: The Espadrille

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Come summer, espadrilles (espardenyas in Catalan or alpargatas in Spanish) are the shoe of the season. Thought to originate in the Pyrenees, both men and women can be seen sporting the casual footwear, which typically consists of a fabric upper and a distinctive sole made of jute rope, in a variety of colours, fabrics and styles. Although the season may now be fading, the shoe’s popularity continues on—Barcelona native Alex Vintró loves wearing the local shoe, favouring the espardenyas de vetes—so named for the woven laces (known as ‘vetes’ or veins) that tie at the ankles. “They are old-school Catalan footwear which, for a nationally conscious person like me, adds to their appeal,” he explained. Vintró’s preferred espadrilles are made by La Manual Alpargatera, based in a small workshop on Carrer Avinyó, just a short walk from Plaça Reial.

 Indeed, the workshop of La Manual Alpargatera is an iconic stop for locals, tourists and even Hollywood celebrities. It remains in the same spot where it first opened in the Forties, just after the Spanish Civil War ended, and whilst their signature espadrilles are still created in the small workshop at the back of the shop, the owners opened a larger workshop in Horta in the intervening years to cope with demand. Today, they sell between 30,000 and 40,000 pairs of their most basic espadrille per year, a simple slip-on with a canvas upper, priced at €12. Unlike the luxury brands, such as Castañer, low prices are another reason why their shoes remain so popular.

La Manual Alpargatera offers a wide variety of espadrilles, both non-traditional styles and the established classic models. Each region (in Catalunya and beyond) has its own style of espardenya, many of which are named after places or people who have worn them. The ‘Valls’ espadrille—white canvas with seven blue laces—is popular among the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan police force, while the ‘Valencia’, with its white canvas and red laces, is reminiscent of Spain’s bullfighting past. Although conceived as a seasonal working shoe, the espadrille has also played an important cultural role over the years. The generic ‘Catalan’ espadrille (white canvas with black cotton ribbons that lace thickly across the toe and around the ankle), for example, is associated with traditional sardana dancing and is perhaps the most iconic of all. In addition to the classics, the shop can also custom produce designs using fabrics and materials from the workshop or brought in by clients.  

La Manual Alpargatera is also the favourite espadrille shop of Àngeles Ortega, owner of Foodie Experience Barcelona, a local cooking school situated nearby. When teaching visitors about local culture, she regularly espouses the shoe’s virtues and sends curious clients to the shop. She appreciates the shoe for its simplicity, aesthetics and, particularly, its roots. “I enjoy the poetry of an object that comes from such humble origins,” she explained, referring to the shoe’s beginnings as footwear for peasants. 

She admires them for being what she calls ‘survivors’—a shoe whose simplicity, function and form have helped it to both maintain its identity and to grow and evolve into something new. Ortega also has a personal connection to the history of the shoe. Her grandfather, who hailed from southern Spain, used to weave the straw, or jute, for the soles. 

Shoemaking has long since been an important industry in Spain. Born as a shoe for the working class, espadrilles have been made in the Pyrenean region, as well as some other parts of Spain, since the 14th century, although the oldest form of espadrille is thought to date back some 4,000 years, having been discovered in the Cueva de los Murciélagos (Bat Cave) of Albuñol in Granada. Although today’s styles differ somewhat from this antique version, the shoe’s structure has essentially remained the same over the millennia. The braided sole continues to be made from natural fibres, which were chosen due to the wide availability of Mediterranean grasses and were favoured for their comfort and durability by farmers, soldiers and clergymen. Soles were once handmade from hemp, jute or esparto, although jute is now the most widely used material in the shoe’s production. This material is appreciated for its insulation qualities, low thermal conductivity and its ability to mould to the foot. It is also biodegradable and recyclable. 

By the mid-19th century, the growing textile industry in Catalunya encouraged the mechanisation of the process and contributed to an increase in the shoe’s production. The trend was reversed, however, in the mid-Fifties when mass urban migration meant a downturn for the espadrille, whose largely agrarian function was no longer required by workers moving away from the fields and into the factories. 

The Banyoles-based family company Castañer can be largely credited for reversing this trend once more by collaborating with fashion designers Yves Saint Laurent to repurpose the shoe as a luxury item. An aesthetic transformation began in the Seventies, when YSL commissioned Castañer to create a wedge-heeled version of their traditional espadrilles, although the shoe actually began to make its mark even earlier within celebrity circles, appearing in the 1948 movie Key Largo on the feet of Hollywood actress Lauren Bacall.  

Due to these innovations and the savvy marketing and branding strategies of other espadrille companies, the shoe has since seen a meteoric rise. It can no longer be defined as a flat shoe with a simple canvas upper, but a wide-ranging line of shoes that includes both the original version and couture iterations. High-end brands, like Castañer and Toni Pons, are still growing steadily, opening up a competitive market. The Luxonomist reported last year that Castañer had 15 boutiques in Europe and Asia, an online shop and operations in more than 50 countries, with the intention of opening 40-50 new stores by 2017. 

Despite the impressive growth of the espadrille in a trend-conscious market, the shoe has an indefinable quality that moves beyond aesthetic appeal. Àngeles struggled to put this into words, but came close when she recalled a conversation she once had with the owner of La Manual Alpargatera. She asked him how he remained so fit at his age, to which he replied “I always wear my espadrilles. That’s the secret.” She laughed fondly at the memory and agreed that regardless of the technical qualities of the espadrille, their best selling point is that “they will keep you young”. 

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