Espardenya: The Catalan Espadrille and Its Lace Styles

Espardenya (plural espardenyes) is the Catalan word for espadrille, and the oldest written name for the shoe: English and French Wikipedia both date it to 1322. The Great Catalan Encyclopedia defines it as a shoe with a sole of braided hemp (or esparto, or jute), a toe cap and heel of thick fabric, generally tied at the ankle with two ribbons. Those ribbons, vetes in Catalan, are what set the classic Catalan espadrille apart.

Three regional styles

The Catalan encyclopedia names three traditional types, each linked to a place:

French Wikipedia adds a fourth name, the espardenya vigatana, without describing it.

Dance shoes

The espardenya is tied to Catalan folk dance. The TOAST magazine history notes that sardana dancers wore red caps, wide skirts and espadrilles with ribbons wound around the legs. Spanish Wikipedia mentions it in the traditional dances of Vilafranca del Penedès.

In Ibiza, the Balearic tourism board describes the island's own espardenyes, still worn by dancers of the ball pagès, the peasants' dance. The women's style, closed at the toe, is called de morret or capelleta; men's versions are open at the tip; fabric-upper versions are called sabatilles. The same page says some masters need about six days per pair. It describes the soles both as braided hemp and as made from pita, agave fibre, so the material may vary by maker.

A short history

• The Catalan encyclopedia says the espardenya was the footwear of the peasantry and of the urban working classes, and that light troops of the Crown of Aragon wore it for its lightness.
• It records a royal decree imposing it on Spanish infantry in 1694. French Wikipedia gives 1964 for a decree of the same kind; the two dates may refer to different texts, or one may be a typing slip, so treat both with care.
• The biggest industry grew in the Valencian Country (la Vall d'Uixó, Elda, Elx), which the encyclopedia calls the forerunner of the modern Spanish shoe industry. Other centres were Sant Llorenç de Cerdans (now Saint-Laurent-de-Cerdans, in France), Tortellà and Benavarri.

Who still makes them

The Catalan News Agency reported in April 2023 that about a dozen espardenya makers remain in Catalonia. Among them is Maria Carme Grifell, a third-generation maker in Solsona who, at 70, still laces espardenyes by hand in her shop, Seixanta-cinc. In Manresa, the shop D'spart told the agency it makes around 6,000 espadrilles a year, mostly sold in spring and summer, and that France is one of the biggest buyers of Catalan espadrilles.

Common mistakes

A frequent mistake is to call every Catalan rope shoe an espardenya. The word covers a family of shoes, but the regional styles differ in lacing, toe and colour, so the name alone does not tell you which one you have. Another is to think the ribbons are decorative: in the classic model they hold the shoe to the foot, and the way they wind matters. A third is to assume that a shoe sold as espardenya is hand-made. Some are, others are made on a production line, and the description is the only reliable clue. Finally, do not mix the Catalan word with the Basque or French one: each names the same shoe in its own language, and the sole material may differ.

Points to check

If you want an authentic pair, check a few points before buying. Look at the lacing: a Valls style has many channels on each side, a Valencian style joins two pairs of ribbons at the toe, and an Empordà style covers the whole foot in fabric. Check the sole, because braided hemp, esparto and jute each feel different, and the Ibiza tradition may use agave fibre. Ask where the workshop is, since the Catalan encyclopedia names several historic centres. Finally, ask how long a pair takes to finish: the Ibiza source says some masters need about six days, so a very fast turnaround usually points to a different process.

How to say it

In Barcelona, roughly uhs-puhr-DEH-nyuh; in Valencia, es-par-THEH-nya. Details on how to pronounce espadrille. For how the Catalan shoe compares with the Basque one, read Basque vs Catalan espadrilles.