Espadrilles Information - Pronunciation, Definition, History, References

Espadrilles (Alpargatas in Spanish) are casual and fashion shoes or sandals for both men and women made of jute wedges commonly and different types of uppers. This footwear originated from France in 1865. But it is now widely popular in the world as an eco-friendly and comfortable sneaker or sandal.

Pronunciation

es·pa·drille [es-puh-dril]
noun
a kind of shoe with canvas upper, rope sole and sometimes with laces to tie around the ankle.

History

People of Pyrenean, Catalonia, Oceania and Basque countries used to put on espadrilles from 18th century made from espartos or a kind of fibery Mediterranean grass.

Modern Espadrilles

Modern espadrilles had been started to be manufactured by Spanish and French manufacturers at the end of nineteenth century exclusively with jute soles and cotton canvas uppers. Initially the espadrilles had been made with flat soles and later high wedges were introduced by designers. Espadrilles can now be open or closed toes, open or closed backs, and can be slip-on or tied with laces to the ankle. Prices of espadrilles could be very cheap to very expensive depends on brands. Although it is a known fact that retail prices of espadrilles could be hundred times higher than wholesale or bulk prices. Espadrille stores of Barcelona sell modern espadrilles imported from Bangladesh nowadays.

Flat Wedge Espadrilles

Handmade classic flat wedge espadrilles are however the most popular espadrille which are also known as Summer Espadrilles. Millions of people around the world put on these basic closed toe canvas espadrilles (look like Sneakers) made with jute soles. See Classic Espadrilles Gallery to know more about variations of this classic design canvas espadrille. Espadrille Boots are also made with flat wedge jute soles and cotton canvas as upper material. Being one of the most comfortable natural shoes, classic espadrilles are very popular in USA, UK, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, South Africa and most of the European countries like Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany etc.

Closed toe flat wedge classic Espadrilles Made of Jute Soles and canvas

High Wedge Espadrilles

High wedge espadrilles are exclusively made for women as fashion shoes or sandals with different styles of uppers. Some are closed toe, some are open toe and some come with laces to tie around ankles. Height of the heels of these lady's espadrilles are typically from 65 mm to 85 mm and even 110 mm sometimes. Supermodels around the world are very fond of these women's espadrilles that they are seen to put on those while cat-walking at fashion shows!

High Wedge Fashion Espadrilles (Alpargata) Made of Jute Rope Sole for Women

Manufacture

Manufacturing process of authentic espadrilles is a bit more complex than other other traditional shoes like leather sneakers, moccasins, keds, boots etc. High quality bright golden-white jute exclusively harvested in Bangladesh is the main raw material to make premium quality jute espadrilles. Jute yarn of particular ply and strength is twisted to make braids or ropes with machines and then those braids are laid on a flat board with nails to give shapes of soles of slippers. After this, the soles are pressed and stitched vertically with dedicated stitching machines to be more durable before vulcanized with rubber out-soles with tremendous hydraulic pressure and heat. Canvas uppers of different colors are then hand-stitched to the flat soles to finish the very classic flat espadrilles.

While making high wedge fashion espadrilles for women, an additional wooden or EVA heel is attached on the flat sole and wrapped with finer braids to make the high wedge soles. Insoles and uppers of different materials like canvas or leather are used to complete the high wedge women's espadrilles. Uppers are sometimes decorated with embroidery or beads to make attractive fashion espadrilles.

Trade

Since Bangladesh is the major producer of jute, the main raw material to make true quality espadrilles is now the country that manufactures ninety percent espadrilles of the world. Spanish and French traders are importing millions of pairs of espadrilles from Bangladesh and distributing to other European, North and South American countries for decades. But recently wholesalers and retailers around the world are importing directly from Bangladeshi makers to present the espadrilles at very low price to the end-users. However, it is strongly suggested to import directly from Bangladesh to get the high quality authentic handmade jute espadrilles at its very best price.