Originally from Spain: fashion for espadrilles
Light, natural and fashionable - this is exactly what summer shoes should be like according to the advice of stylists. Under these criteria, as best, fall colorful espadrilles, which adorn the legs of fashionistas for several seasons. Their history goes back to medieval Spain, then still an unstable and war-ravaged state. Shoes were made by hand from a piece of light or dark fabric and esparto - a durable grass dried in the sun. One pair was made for several hours, and was worn all year round. Therefore, comfortable and cheap espadrilles migrated from the wardrobes of the villagers to the soldiers of the royal army.
The shoes soon spread to the Basque Country and parts of France. It is interesting that espadrilles were worn by both women and men, as well as people of various social status, for example: priests, miners, sailors. Even dancers used such handmade shoes, because the national dance of Catalonia, the sardana, is performed in espadrilles. In the 17th century, dried grass for making shoes was replaced with a cheap analogue - tourniquet, thanks to which espadrilles gained even more popularity among the working masses.
Fateful in the evolution of espadrilles was the name Castaner. In 1776, Raphael Castañer begins to make shoes for a close circle with his own hands in a small workshop. Then he could not even think that he was laying the groundwork for a large family business. Indeed, in 1927, his descendant, Louis Castaigner, created a shoe factory, the goods from which were distributed throughout Europe. People fell in love with comfortable espadrilles, which at that time already had a rubber sole. Fashion for ecological shoes is moving overseas, so the Spanish government decides to nationalize the brand.
A new page in the history of espadrilles began in the 1960s and 1970s, when the Castanier family began to experiment with the color and texture of products. During this period, the company entered into a collaboration with the young designer Yves Saint Laurent. The fashion designer has developed a new design of wedge shoes and introduced it into his collections.
Unlike other shoe styles, espadrilles are unisex. In trendy "braids" were seen: Salvador Dali, John F. Kennedy and Grace Kelly. If you still don't have a pair of stylish espadrilles in your wardrobe, then it's time for you to look into our online store.