So adorable, it's deplorable.
Espadrille derives from ‘esparto’, the species of plant that was braided to create its iconic sole. Designed as an easy-to-wear utility shoe in canvas with a jute rope sole, it was worn not only by the King of Aragon’s infantry in thirteenth century but also by mine workers and priests. The shoe became synonymous with the Catalan national dance, Sardana, where dancers wore espadrilles with ribbon ties around the shin, known as ‘Espardenya’.
Leave no shoe unturned!
Surrealist artist Salvador Dali was often photographed in a pair of black ankle lacing espadrilles, and JFK sported a similar pair for a trip around the Mediterranean.
Cuddle?
In the early 1970s, fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent visited a trade show in Paris and met the Spanish manufacturer Castañer, from whom he commissioned the first ever wedge espadrille. The style became an instant hit and new interpretations can be seen on the catwalk every Spring Summer season.
Backrub?
Espadrilles have transformed from utilitarian shoes, into signifiers of luxury.
Those ribbons, though!
“It was like when the refrigerator did away with the ceramic water jugs,” recalled Ms. Sauras, 77, who still designs the Castañer line. “We saved the espadrille from a museum future and kept it alive in a very contemporary way.”
Wheeeeeee...
Espadrilles owed its popularity to the practical properties of the soles, made of esparto grass, hemp and later jute...
That was fun.
“It was cheaper to give each soldier two or three pairs of espadrilles than to give him one pair of shoes,” said Antonio Castañer, the firm’s financial director. The sandals were so strategic that the army nationalized the factory in 1938.
'Til next time!
A utilitarian peasant shoe became a symbol of rebellion.