Espadrilles Distributor in the US and Canada - Alpargatas

2020-06-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

Welcome to ESPADRILLES, the first website entirely dedicated to the famous classic canvas Spanish espadrilles shoes!

CLASSIC ESPADRILLES

Sewn in white

Sewn in colors

With stripes

Kids espadrilles

CUSTON ESPADRILLES

Create your espadrilles

ESPADRILLES WITH HEELS

The espadrille (alpargatas) is a shoe from the Basque country (Spain), made of cotton or linen fabric with a flexible jute rope sole.
This authentic Spanish shoe has been handcrafted for many generations in several small villages and has, therefore, a very long history associated with it. Entirely handmade, the espadrille symbolizes an ecological, easy going and dynamic lifestyle.

Our Spanish espadrilles are designed for HER as well as for HIM. They are made for people who like practical and comfortable shoes, and who care for the environment. Fabrics are natural, soft and top quality and are available in a great choice of colors (navy, red, white, etc ).

Jute, a 100% natural fiber, is used in the making of modern closed toe espadrilles soles. Woven jute is very popular because of its eco-friendliness compared to synthetic substances. If you are looking to buy a pair of wedge or flat espadrilles shoes for yourself, have a look at the 'choose your espadrilles' section of our website, it will link you to our espadrilles store website. If you have a shop and would like to carry this unique brand of shoes, contact us in order to activate your wholesale account. The espadrilles team is entirely at your disposal for any questions you might have.

Welcome aboard!
Best regards,
Diego Arnedo
Espadrilles - Espardenyas – Alpargatas

_______________________________________________

Coming soon, the original espadrille from the 50's
This old fashion espadrille will be available around March 2012. It will be available in limited quantities and totally exclusive to the espadrillestore.com . We will keep you updated !!

How espadrilles are handcrafted in Spain

2012-02-11T23:08:00.000-08:00

HAND SEWN ESPADRILLES

Allow me to introduce you to Rosa, one of the many “abuelas” (grandmothers) living in a small village (population 2000) in the north of Spain. In a hand full of Spanish villages, the centuries old tradition of villagers hand sowing the espadrille in the comfort of their own home still remains.

These adorable abuelas sew the espadrilles by hand with an ancestral technique, always using the same tools and making the exact same motions. The pictures below will help you appreciate in detail the full charm of the technique.

See for yourself how Rosa receives at home the different elements (sole, fabric and thread) and assembles them with amazing speed while gossiping with friends.

PREPARING THE JUTE SOLES

And here’s Ramon Junior! His work consists in rolling the jute in order to make the soles. To do so, he uses a turning table that has been used for generations by his family.

SOLES MADE OF NATURAL RUBBER

Paco the rubber man! In order to finish the sole, natural rubber will be vulcanized to the jute with the help of a heated mold (400º Celsius). This rubber sole will solidify the jute and provide a good grip to the sole.

THE DELICATE ART OF TAILORING

Meet the tailor, Ramon! He will not share the responsibility of his delicate job, cutting the fabric is the most difficult part of the "espadrille" operation!

The origin of the rope sole espadrille

2012-02-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

The classic espadrille, a centuries old tradition.
Our espadrilles are 100% handmade in a Small village in Northen Spain called Cervera, it is one of the last remaining villages where the espadrilles are properly handcrafted.
A wide variety of colors and styles are available in our retail store and web store www.espadrillestore.com

Espadrilles, the definition

2011-05-04T21:15:00.000-07:00

The espadrille (alpargata) is a shoe made of a canvas or cotton fabric upper and a flexible sole made of rope. The term espadrille comes from the Catalan word, espardenya, which referred to a tough grass used for weaving the ropes that form the bottom of the shoes.

Once peasant footwear, espadrilles have grown in popularity, and are intended for everyone regardless of age or lifestyle but are especially popular among free spirited people with a sense of humour that look for a comfortable as well as fashionable footwear. Traditional espadrilles have been around since the 14th century, with a makeup of a canvas upper seamed to a flexible flat rope sole.

Entirely handmade, the espadrille symbolizes an ecological, easy going and dynamic lifestyle. Our Spanish espadrilles are designed for HER as well as for HIM. Lightweight and durable, the espadrilles never go out of style. The flat, canvas slip-ons come in both men's and women's sizes, in solids, stripes, and patterns and the wedge sandals are laced in a criss-cross pattern up the woman’s ankles.

Jute, a 100% natural fibre, is the defining characteristic of an espadrille, 100% biodegradable, and acts as a natural anti-bacterial keeping your feet & shoes odor free. Woven jute is very popular because of its eco-friendliness compared to synthetic substances.

If you are looking to buy a pair of wedge or flat espadrilles shoes for yourself, have a look at the 'choose your espadrilles' section of our website, it will link you to our espadrilles store website. If you have a shop and would like to carry this unique brand of shoes, contact us in order to activate your wholesale account. The espadrilles team is entirely at your disposal for any questions you might have.

Famous espadrilles in the media

2010-05-10T12:55:00.001-07:00

White Lola Espadrilles
1.5 inch Heel
Entirely hand made in La Rioja, Spain
Price 54.95$
Available HERE

__________________

All hail the humble espadrille

By DALE FUCHS
Published in the New York Times on August 16, 2010

MADRID — The humble jute-soled shoe seemed headed for a museum shelf when Isabel Sauras and her husband took over the family espadrille business, Castañer, in the Catalonian town of Banyoles.

It was 1959, and a wave of belated industrialization was sweeping agrarian Spain. Farmers had abandoned their small hilly plots for stable factory jobs in the cities. They no longer needed those cheap, ankle-tie sandals to work the fields in the summer heat.

Many espadrille factories in Catalonia and the French and Spanish Basque regions cut their final braids. But Isabel Sauras and her husband, Lorenzo Castañer, clung to their rope and, with the help of Yves Saint Laurent and other designers, turned the traditional peasant shoe into a fashion statement.

“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.”

(read more)

Today, the Castañer factory, founded in 1927, creates luxury, high-heeled espadrilles for 15 designer labels, including Lanvin, Hermès and Christian Louboutin, and it crafts its own collections for 17 Castañer boutiques in Spain, France and Japan. Their star model, “the peasant,” is a fixture at Spain’s outdoor cafes. It has sold eight million pairs to date.

According to Ms. Sauras, the factory is Spain’s sole survivor of the jute-soled heyday of the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, when Salvador Dalí would shuffle about his native Figueres in a white canvas pair bought at the local Castañer store.

Few of the factory’s original clients would be able to toil in, say, the thigh-high, black leather model that Castañer created for a Jean Paul Gaultier fashion show in the late 1980s. And a small-time farmer probably couldn’t afford the €200, or about $255, metallic-leather sandals with platform heels on display recently at a Castañer boutique in Madrid.

But more than 40 specialized seamstresses still hand-stitch the uppers — decorated with everything from zebra prints to Swarovski crystals — to the coiled jute soles. And the factory uses the same jute braiding machines that its founder, Luis Castañer, employed to supply footwear to Republican soldiers during the Spanish Civil War.

“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.

Spain has long been known for making fine shoes, but few shoemakers themselves are recognized abroad. That’s because the industry is composed of small, family-run workshops and factories too tight on cash, or too set in their ways, to worry about building a brand, according to Josep Maria Galí, a professor of marketing at ESADE Business School in Barcelona. Competition from China has put many of those shoemakers out of business.

But Castañer is now one of several family-run Spanish shoemakers who are capitalizing on traditional craftsmanship to carve an international niche. For these artisans, perhaps their greatest problem will be continuing to find skilled workers willing to wield a 15-centimeter, or six-inch, needle.

“I don’t know what we’ll do in 20 years, but we’ll manage,” said Felix Fuster, a fourth-generation espadrille maker who exports his hand-made men’s styles from a workshop in the eastern province of Castellón. He relies on a legion of seamstresses who work from home. “The average age is 70,” he quipped.

Amid the towering jute wedges on display at a Castañer boutique, a modern shopper might have trouble recognizing the original canvas flat, worn mostly by men in only one color combination: white with black ribbons. In 1930, a pair cost two Spanish pesetas, or about a cent, Ms. Sauras said.

That ankle-tie look, born in ancient Mesopotamia, might seem chic in pictures of Ancient Greece, but the espadrille traveled the Mediterranean no thanks to fashion. It owed its popularity to the practical properties of the soles, made of esparto grass, hemp and later jute, according to Luis Castañer, the founder’s grandson, who oversees production at the Castañer factory.

“Jute isolates the feet from cold, humidity and heat,” he said

Award winning Espadrille Store

2009-12-30T21:05:00.000-08:00

We are proud to announce that our espadrilles have been awarded the Sustainability Store Achievement Star Award.

Star Award (highest level)

The Sustainability Store Star Award is our highest achievement award for leadership in environmental and social responsibility. When you see a Star Award, you know the company or organization has participated in our rating process and is a leader in promoting or practicing sustainability. A Star Award demonstrates exemplary policies regarding product sourcing and commitment to sustainable business practices. For a company or organization to achieve a Star Award, they must must complete the Sustainability Store Sustainability Disclosure Statement. We carefully review the Disclosure Statement to determine if the Star Award requirements have been met. In addition to meeting the requirements in the Disclosure Statement, the applicant must also provide a product or service that is of interest and relevance to Sustainability Store visitors, have employees and be in existence for more than one year.

www.espadrillestore.com

2009-10-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

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2009-03-17T22:51:00.000-07:00

Pistachio espadrilles
Ref: E09
SRP: 24.95USD
Woman sizes available
In stock, to purchase click HERE

Fuchsia espadrilles
Ref: E10
SRP: 24.95USD
Woman sizes available
In stock, to purchase click HERE

Pink espadrilles
Ref: E16
SRP: 24.95USD
Woman sizes available
In stock, to purchase click HERE

Lilac espadrilles
Ref: E14
SRP: 24.95USD
Available soon
In stock, to purchase click HERE

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2009-03-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Lolitas sky blue espadrilles
Ref: EEL12
kids sizes available
SRP: 46.95$

Lolitas fuxia espadrilles
Ref: EEL10
kids sizes available
SRP: 46.95$

Lolitas pink espadrilles
Ref: EEL16
kids sizes available
SRP: 46.95$

Lolitas red vichy espadrilles
Ref: EELV05
kids sizes available
SRP: 58.95$

Lolitas pink vichy espadrilles
Ref: EELV16
kids sizes available
SRP: 58.95$

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2009-03-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

Red espadrilles
Ref: EE05
Baby and kid sizes available
SRP: 20.95$

Pistachio espadrilles
Ref: EE09
Baby and kid sizes available
SRP: 20.95$

Turquoise espadrilles
Ref: EE11
Baby and kid sizes available
SRP: 20.95$

Pink espadrilles
Ref: EE16
Baby and kid sizes available
SRP: 20.95$

White espadrilles
Ref: EE04
Baby and kid sizes available
SRP: 20.95$

Navy blue espadrilles
Ref: EE06
Baby and kid sizes available
SRP: 20.95$

Sand white espadrilles
Ref: EE02
Baby and kid sizes available
SRP: 20.95$

Sky blue espadrilles
Ref: EE12
Baby and kid sizes available
SRP: 20.95$

Yellow espadrilles
Ref: EE13
Baby and kid sizes available
SRP: 20.95$

Orange espadrilles
Ref: EE18
Baby and kid sizes available
SRP: 20.95$

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2009-02-12T20:01:00.001-08:00

On the 13-14 and 15 of march 2009, the Espadrilles team will be attending the 12e edition of “The eat well expo and living green” at the “Palais des congres” in Montreal (Place d’armes metro).

Come and visit us at booth #621!!

At eat well expo and living green, the mission is spreading the word about the impact of quality nutrition and lifestyle on our health and the environment.

* Encouraging people to care for their health.
* Reducing widespread obesity among youth.
* Preventing cancer and chronic disease.
* Filling the abysmally deep trench in which billions are squandered due to poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyles... through PREVENTION.
* Discovering a wide variety of healthy quality products and services.

The eat well expo and living green is a one-of-a-kind event in Québec, due to the quality of its partners, its exhibitors and the visiting public, all aware of the urgency to eat and live more wholesomely.

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The Espadrilles team will also be present at the Go Green Expo in Ottawa (Lansdowne Park) on the 21-22 of march 2009.

Please come and visit us at booth #205!!

The Ottawa Go Green Expo is the first of it's kind in Ottawa! This exciting, 2 days event features over 180 exhibitors, all dedicated to providing information, products and services that can help you live a greener lifestyle! With everything from home and garden ideas, eco-friendly food and clothing, transportation options, organic food and cooking, to guest speakers and interactive displays, the Ottawa Go Green Expo offers many simple ways of going green and helping our environment!

Green is the new black! Discover the latest planet friendly trends from clothes to jewelery and more!

Make a day of it, bring your friends and family and learn to "Go Green".

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The "espadrilles" has attended the The New York Shoe Expo December 3-5, 2008, the largest footwear show on the U.S. East coast and features approximately 600 fashion footwear brands exhibiting in booths, hotel show rooms and FFANY Member showrooms.

2009-02-12T20:01:00.000-08:00

On the 13-14 and 15 of march 2009, the Espadrilles team will be attending the 12e edition of “The EAT WELL EXPO AND LIVING GREEN” at the “palais des congres” in Montreal (Place d’armes metro).

Come and visit us at booth #621!!

At EAT WELL EXPO AND LIVING GREEN, the mission is spreading the word about the impact of quality nutrition and lifestyle on our health and the environment.

* Encouraging people to care for their health.
* Reducing widespread obesity among youth.
* Preventing cancer and chronic disease.
* Filling the abysmally deep trench in which billions are squandered due to poor nutrition and sedentary lifestyles... through PREVENTION.
* Discovering a wide variety of healthy quality products and services.

The EAT WELL EXPO AND LIVING GREEN is a one-of-a-kind event in Québec, due to the quality of its partners, its exhibitors and the visiting public, all aware of the urgency to eat and live more wholesomely.

The Espadrilles team will also be present at the Go Green Expo in Ottawa (Lansdowne Park) on the 21-22 of march 2009.

The Ottawa Go Green Expo is the first of it's kind in Ottawa! This exciting, 2 days event features over 180 exhibitors, all dedicated to providing information, products and services that can help you live a greener lifestyle! With everything from home and garden ideas, eco-friendly food and clothing, transportation options, organic food and cooking, to guest speakers and interactive displays, the Ottawa Go Green Expo offers many simple ways of going green and helping our environment!

Green is the new black! Discover the latest planet friendly trends from clothes to jewelery and more!

Make a day of it, bring your friends and family and learn to "Go Green".

Please come and visit us at booth #205!!

2008-11-25T23:19:00.000-08:00

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Click HERE to see-close up pictures of our collection

2008-11-21T15:53:00.000-08:00

Marco espadrilles with blue stripes
Ref: EM54
SRP: 70.95$

Kaki Marco espadrilles
Ref: EM07
SRP: 70.95$

Sand Marco espadrilles
Ref: EM02
SRP: 70.95$

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2008-11-19T21:49:00.000-08:00

Black Sofia espadrilles
Ref: S01
SRP: 83.50$

Brown Sofia espadrilles
Ref: S03
SRP: 83.50$

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2008-11-17T09:57:00.005-08:00

Black Mariposa espadrilles
Ref: MA01
SRP: 76.95$

Sand Mariposa espadrilles
Ref: MA02
SRP: 76.95$

Brown Mariposa espadrilles
Ref: MA03
SRP: 76.95$

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2008-11-17T09:57:00.003-08:00

Black and white Rosa espadrilles

Ref: R01
SRP: 79.95$

White and black Rosa espadrilles
Ref: R04
SRP: 79.95$

White and red Rosa espadrilles
Ref: R05
SRP: 79.95$

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2008-11-17T09:57:00.001-08:00

Jute Carmen espadrilles

Ref: CBB08
1.5" Heel
SRP: 65.00$

Orange Carmen espadrilles
Ref: CBB18
1.5" Heel
SRP: 62.00$

Brown stripes Carmen espadrilles
Ref: CBBR50
1.5" Heel
SRP: 67.00$

Blue & brown stripes Carmen espadrille
Ref: CBBR53
1.5" Heel
SRP: 67.00$

Kaki Carmen espadrilles
Ref: CBB07
1.5" Heel
SRP: 62.00$

Black Carmen espadrilles
Ref: CHB01
2.5" Heel
SRP: 67.00$

Sand Carmen espadrilles
Ref: CHB02
2.5" Heel
SRP: 67.00$

Brown Carmen espadrille
Ref: CHB03
2.5" Heel
SRP: 67.00$

Red Carmen espadrilles
Ref: CHB05
2.5" Heel
SRP: 67.00$

Beach stripes Carmen espadrilles
Ref: CHBR51
2.5" Heel
SRP: 69.95$

Red stripes Carmen espadrilles
Ref: CHBR52
2.5" Heel
SRP: 69.95$

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2008-11-17T09:56:00.004-08:00

Black Lola espadrilles
Ref: LBL01
1.5" Heel
SRP: 54.95$
In stock, to purchase click HERE

White Lola espadrilles
Ref: LBL04
1.5" Heel
SRP: 54.95$
In stock, to purchase click HERE

Red Lola espadrilles
Ref: LBL05
1.5" Heel
SRP: 54.95$
In stock, to purchase click HERE

Brown Lola espadrilles
Ref: LBL03
1.5" Heel
SRP: 54.95$

Fuchsia Lola espadrille
Ref: LBL10
1.5" Heel
SRP: 54.95$

Sand white Lola espadrilles
Ref: LHL02
2.5" Heel
SRP: 59.95$

Jute Lola espadrilles
Ref: LHL08
2.5" Heel
SRP: 59.95$

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2008-11-17T09:56:00.003-08:00

Navy blue Catalina espadrilles
Ref: CA06
SRP: 39.95$
In stock, to purchase click HERE

Red Catalina espadrilles
Ref: CA05
SRP: 39.95$
In stock, to purchase click HERE

Black Catalina espadrilles
Ref: CA01
SRP: 39.95$
In stock, to purchase click HERE

Brown Catalina espadrilles
Ref: CA03
SRP: 39.95$

Kaki Catalina espadrilles
Ref: CA07
SRP: 39.95$

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2008-11-17T09:56:00.001-08:00

Jute and green espadrilles sown brown
Ref: EC080703
SRP: 32.00$

White and navy espadrilles sown navy
Ref: EC040606
SRP: 32.00$

Navy and red espadrilles sown jute
Ref: EC060508
SRP: 32.00$

Turquoise and fuchsia espadrilles sown fuchsia
Ref: EC111010
SRP: 32.00$

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2008-11-11T22:24:00.000-08:00