Misplaced Pages

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Espadrille" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Espadrille

Two examples of the most traditional espadrilles of Spain, in standard cloth and herringbone
Type	Rope-soled shoe
Material	Canvas or cotton fabric upper and esparto rope sole
Place of origin	Spain and France
Introduced	1322

Espadrilles (Spanish: alpargatas or esparteñas; Catalan: espardenyes; Basque: espartinak, French: espadrilles) are casual, rope-soled, flat but sometimes high-heeled shoes. They usually have a canvas or cotton fabric upper and a flexible sole made of esparto rope. The esparto rope sole is the defining characteristic of an espadrille; the uppers vary widely in style.

Espadrilles are a typical form of Spanish summer footwear, with strong historical ties to the regions of Catalonia, Aragon, and the Basque Country. The word derives from the Catalan "espardenya" and refers to esparto grass, a plant indigenous to the south of Spain that is used to make ropes and basketry. Although they are still widely manufactured in Spain, some production has moved to Bangladesh, the world's largest jute producer.

Originally peasant footwear, they were popularised throughout the 20th century by many cultural figures including Picasso, Salvador Dalí and later John F. Kennedy and Yves Saint Laurent.

Etymology

The existence of this kind of shoe in Europe is documented since at least 1322, when it was described for the first time with its current Catalan name.

The term espadrille is French and derives from the word in the Occitan language, which comes from espardenya in Catalan or alpargata and esparteña in Spanish. Both espardenya and esparteña refer to a type of shoes made with esparto, a tough, wiry Mediterranean grass used in making rope. Its name in the Basque region is espartina.

History

Espadrilles have been made in the Basque Country, Catalonia and roughly all over Spain as well as the Occitania region of France. They were the usual peasant footwear since the 14th century at least, and are still being produced as from old. The oldest, most primitive form of espadrilles dates as far back as 9,500 years ago. Traditional espadrilles have a canvas upper with the toe and vamp cut in one piece and seamed to the rope sole at the sides. Often they have laces at the throat that are wrapped around the ankle to hold the shoes securely in place. Traditional espadrilles are worn by both men and women.

Use in Argentina and Uruguay

Both in Argentina and Uruguay, espadrilles (known as alpargatas) were adopted by rural workers as a substitute for the "bota de potro", part of the traditional gaucho attire, made with leather from the lower leg of the horse. Unlike other clothing, the espadrille became an essential garment for both sexes but, above all, the inseparable companion of the bombachas (knickerbockers). In the first half of the 20th century, the use of espadrilles was so common among the lower classes of the population that the company called Fábrica Argentina de Alpargatas took great importance, which used to be promoted with the artistic almanacs illustrated by Florencio Molina Campos. Espadrilles entered the Argentine political scene prior to the presidency of Juan Domingo Perón by associating it with the working class. In 1943 and 1944, the student movement opposed to Perón began to use the slogan: "No a la dictadura de las alpargatas" ("No to espadrilles' dictatorship") which was in turn responded by the peronists: "alpargatas sí, libros, no" ("espadrilles, yes, books, no").

Modern espadrilles

Once peasant footwear, then urban workers' footwear, espadrilles have grown in popularity, especially in the French Atlantic coast of the Basque Country and Spanish Mediterranean coast from Granada to Girona, where many men and women wear them during the spring and summer months. Designer espadrilles are now widely available. They are usually manufactured in Spain, France, and South Asia. Modern espadrilles are predominantly for women, though some men's shoes are made in this style.

The soles of espadrilles may be flat, platform, or wedge shaped made of natural fiber. Uppers may be made from nearly any substance and may have open or closed toes, open or closed backs, and can be slip-on or tied to the ankle with laces. Thousands of varieties of espadrilles can be found, from inexpensive bargain brands to high priced designer brands.

Espadrilles became fashionable in the United States in the 1940s. Lauren Bacall's character in the 1948 movie Key Largo wore ankle-laced espadrilles.

Wedge-shaped espadrilles were first popularized by French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. At a trade fair in Paris in 1970, he came into contact with the Spanish espadrille manufacturer Castañer. Yves Saint Laurent had been looking in vain for months for someone to make him a wedge espadrille. Castañer managed to interpret Yves Saint Laurent's vision and the wedge espadrilles were an instant hit, influencing fashion even today.

The espadrille style was revived in the United States in the 1980s, due to the success of Miami Vice—the shoe was worn by the character Sonny Crockett (played by Don Johnson). In 2013 at luxury shoe stores in New York City, a pair of espadrilles could cost nearly $500.

Jute sole espadrilles

Due to cost and material availability, the soles of espadrilles are now commonly made with jute rope or braid. The natural bright white color of jute is a major design feature of modern espadrilles.

Bangladesh is the producer of high quality jute and has become a manufacturing center for premium quality jute soles and complete espadrilles. Ninety percent of the world's total production of complete espadrilles, as well as jute soles, is now manufactured in Bangladesh, although some manufacturers in Spain, France, and Italy import jute soles from Bangladesh to finish espadrilles in those countries. Complete espadrilles are also assembled in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Venezuela with imported jute from Bangladesh.

Jute soles typically include fully or partially vulcanized (hardened) rubber beneath the jute soles for long-lasting espadrille shoes. Sometimes crepe rubber soles are used as out-soles, although they are less durable than their vulcanized counterparts. Jute braid soles might include heels made of wood or EVA foam.

Manufacture

The manufacture of espadrilles is generally more complex than that of sandals. The jute soles are the most critical part. The jute twines are first machine-braided. These braids are then manually formed into the shape of the sole and hydraulically pressed with heat to form the final shape and completed with vertical stitching with Espadrille Needles. These basic soles are then vulcanized underneath. EVA foam or wooden heels are glued in place and more jute braids are wrapped around it to complete the soles. Uppers of different styles are then built on the jute soles to complete the espadrille.

See also

• Bast shoes, similar footwear in Balto-Slavic cultures of identical etymological derivation (from fibre used in their manufacture)
• Waraji, Japanese version

References

1. Josep Escrig I Martínez, Diccionario Valenciano-Castellano, Imprenta de J. Ferrer de Orga (Valencia, 1851), p. 385
2. Barrie Kerper, Barcelona from A to Z, Vintage (Mar., 2017)
3. Margo DeMello, Feet and Footwear: A Cultural Encyclopedia, Greenwood Press (2009), p. 108
4. Sanjay Kathuria et al., Toward New Sources of Competitiveness in Bangladesh: Key Insights of the Diagnostic Trade Integration Study, World Bank Publications (oct., 2015), p. 86
5. Chris Cotonou, "Spanish Menswear Brands Deserve Your Attention—and Your Closet Space" in RobbReport, July 27, 2020
6. Emily Lever, "The Revolutionary History of Espadrilles" in Esquire (17 August 2017)
7. "What are Espadrilles?". wiseGEEK. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
8. Espartina in the official website of the community of Soule municipalities Archived 2014-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
9. Martínez-Sevilla, Francisco; Herrero-Otal, Maria; Martín-Seijo, María; Santana, Jonathan; Lozano Rodríguez, José A.; Maicas Ramos, Ruth; Cubas, Miriam; Homs, Anna; Martínez Sánchez, Rafael M.; Bertin, Ingrid; Barroso Bermejo, Rosa; Bueno Ramírez, Primitiva; De Balbín Behrmann, Rodrigo; Palomo Pérez, Antoni; Álvarez-Valero, Antonio M.; Peña-Chocarro, Leonor; Murillo-Barroso, Mercedes; Fernández-Domínguez, Eva; Altamirano García, Manuel; Pardo Martínez, Rubén; Iriarte Cela, Mercedes; Carrasco Rus, Javier L.; Alfaro Giner, Carmen; Piqué Huerta, Raquel (29 September 2023). "The earliest basketry in southern Europe: Hunter-gatherer and farmer plant-based technology in Cueva de los Murciélagos". Science Advances. 9 (39): eadi3055. Bibcode:2023SciA....9I3055M. doi:10.1126/sciadv.adi3055. PMC 10530072. PMID 37756397.
10. López, Alfredo (1975) Historia del movimiento social y la clase obrera argentina, p. 410 (spanish).
11. "Shoe Battles: Going Toe-to-Toe in Stilettos". Retrieved 30 April 2016.
12. "Espadrille". Retrieved 30 April 2016.
13. Dritz ES50063

External links

v t e Footwear
Abandoned footwear Shoe Shoemaking Shoe size
Dress shoes	Blucher Brogues Brothel creepers Derby Monks Oxfords Spectator shoes (Co-respondent shoes) Winklepickers Wholecuts Slip-on shoes Court shoes Prince Albert slippers Loafers Venetian-style shoes Women's Ballet flats High-heeled footwear Mary Janes Mojari Mules Peep-toe shoes Saddle shoes Slingbacks
Other shoes	Driving moccasins Flip-flops Galoshes Platform shoes Sandals Self-tying shoes Slides Slippers (Uwabaki) Tiger-head shoes Veldskoens Zōri
Wooden footwear	Bakya British clogs Cantabrian albarcas Clogs Geta Klompen Namaksin Okobo Padukas Pattens Sabot Träskor
Boots	Military Ammunition boots Bunny boots Combat boots Jackboots Jump boots Jungle boots Tanker boots Trench boots Munson Last Work Australian work boots Cowboy boots Engineer boots Hip boots Jika-tabi Rigger boots Steel-toe boots Waders Fashion boots Chelsea boots (Beatle boots) Chukka boots Go-go boots Knee-high boots Over-the-knee boots Platform boots Thigh-high boots Ugg boots Other Jodhpur boots Wellington boots Ballet boots
Sport-related footwear	Athletic shoes Ballet shoes Boat shoes Climbing shoes Cross country running shoes Cycling shoes Football boots Ghillies Hiking boots Ice skates Inline skates Kung fu shoes Minimalist shoes Motorcycle boots Mountaineering boots Plimsolls Racing flats Racing shoes Riding boots Roller shoes Roller skates Sabatons Safari boots Skate shoes Ski boots Sneakers Swimfins Water shoes Wrestling shoes
Folk footwear	Abacas Abarkas Alpargatas Avarcas Balghas Bast shoes Ciocie Clogs Espadrilles Furlane Galesh Geta Giveh Haferlschuh Hnyat-phanats Huarache Hwa Jipsin Jorabs Kamiks Kolhapuri chappals Moccasins Mojaris Mukluks Nalins Okobo Opanci Peshawari chappals Snowshoes Tsarouchi Takunya Upanah Valenkis Waraji Zōri
Historical footwear	Areni-1 shoes Buskins Calcei Caligae Carbatina Cavalier boots Chinese styles Chopines Duckbill shoes Flowerpot shoes Hessians Lotus shoes Pampooties Pigaches Poulaines Socci Turnshoes
Shoe construction	Bespoke shoes Blake construction Goodyear welt Shoe buckle Shoelaces Toe box High heels Clear heels Kitten heels Spool heels Stiletto heels Wedges
Hosiery	Anklets Bobby socks Dress socks Footwraps Knee highs Pantyhose Sock Stocking Tights Toe socks Tabi
List of shoe styles

• Shoes
• Sandals
• Folk footwear
• Jute
• Spanish clothing
• French clothing
• Culture of Catalonia
• Ropework