You will be amazed to know that our espadrilles are entirely handmade in a small village in northern Spain. This European classic footwear is fun, trendy, colourful and comfortable. They are handmade by the villagers, using an ancestral technique in the comfort of their own homes.

Here are the different steps towards making this incredible shoe:

PRESENTING THE VILLAGE

Cervera del Rio Alhama is a village in the province of La Rioja , Spain, with a population of 2000.

The town is located in the foothills of the Sierra de Alcarama, along the banks of the river Alhama and is divided into two districts of "La Peña", atop which are the ruins of a centuries old castle. The espadrille tradition is centuries old and remains the major income of this village along with vino tinto (red wine). Our Espadrilles are not your average industrial product, but rather they provide steady work to hundreds of persons working at home, sewing the espadrilles by hand with an ancestral technique, as style and production expertise have been handed down from generation to generation.

BRAIDING THE JUTE THREAD INTO A ROPE

As you can see on the pictures below, the jute twines are first braided with machines dating from the 40’s. Jute is a type of plant fibre used to make common items such as rope. The thread created from jute is quite strong, and it also has exceptional insulating properties, low thermal conductivity, and antistatic characteristics.

PREPARING THE JUTE SOLES

And here’s Ramon Junior, whose work consists in rolling the jute in order to make the soles. To do so, he uses a turning table that has been used by his family for generations. The soles of espadrilles may be flat, platform or wedge shaped and they are favored because of their eco-friendliness compared to synthetic substances.

SEWING THE SOLES

Ramon, the big boss. He uses a bench called "banco alpargatero". His bench has been used for many generations, passing from father to son. This particular bench is more than 150 years old. It’s a beautiful craftsmanship.

VULCANIZING

Paco the rubber man! In order to finish the sole, natural rubber will be vulcanized to the jute with the help of a heated mould (400º Celsius). This rubber sole will solidify the jute and provide a good grip to the sole. Natural rubber, vulcanized with high heat and pressure - no glue used - makes the espadrille last 3 times longer - anti-slip - still allows the foot to breathe through the middle spaces where there's no rubber.

THE DELICATE ART OF TAILORING

Ramon and a small team of professional seamstresses have the delicate job of cutting and sewing the fabric used in the making of the espadrilles, this is the most difficult part of the "espadrille" operation!

HAND SEWING

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 sewing 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.

AND HERE IS THE FINISHED ESPADRILLE

There you go, the espadrilles is finished, simple, stylish, timeless, natural, comfortable and definitely eco-friendly!

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Want to see more? check out our latest article, it explains step by step the skillfull craftsmanship behind the making of our flat canvas denim espadrille