Who Invented the Wedge Espadrille? The 1970 Story

The wedge espadrille as fashion knows it is credited to Yves Saint Laurent and the Spanish maker Castañer. English Wikipedia says the designer met Castañer at a trade fair in Paris in 1970 and asked for a wedge-heeled espadrille; Castañer produced it and it was an instant hit. The TOAST magazine history tells the same story and places it in "the 1970s", after Saint Laurent saw Castañer's designs at a trade fair.

Before the wedge

The espadrille was a flat shoe for most of its life: peasant footwear from at least the 14th century, then soldiers' and workers' wear. TOAST notes that Castañer was requisitioned by Franco's government during the Spanish Civil War, for its usefulness to the war effort. After the war, Hollywood made the flat laced espadrille fashionable: Rita Hayworth wore espadrilles in The Lady from Shanghai (1947) and Lauren Bacall in Key Largo (1948), according to TOAST and English Wikipedia.

Spanish Wikipedia does classify a raised version among traditional types, "of high heel, usually with a wedge", but gives no date for it. So it is safer to say that Saint Laurent and Castañer launched the fashion wedge, rather than that they invented any raised espadrille.

How a wedge espadrille is built

English Wikipedia describes the steps:

1. A jute braid is shaped and pressed into a sole, then stitched and vulcanised underneath.
2. A heel of wood or EVA foam (a light synthetic foam) is glued on.
3. More braid is wrapped around the heel, so that the wedge looks like solid rope.
4. The upper is attached last.

The shoe brand Wonders notes that jute, being lighter and more flexible than esparto, allows wedges with cleaner finishes and more modern shapes.

How high do they go?

A 2025 roundup of wedding-guest espadrilles in ¡Hola! gives an idea of today's range among Spanish brands: some wedges reach 11 to 12 cm, many sit between 8 and 10 cm, and some models stay flat or low for dancing.

Is a wedge easier to walk in than a heel?

Meghan Kelly, a foot and ankle surgeon at Mount Sinai, suggests that if you need a heel, a block heel or a wedge espadrille may support the ankle better than a stiletto. She also advises choosing shoes with arch support and a firm sole. This is general advice: if you have foot pain, ask a podiatrist about your own feet.

For the shoe's earlier history and names, see what is an espadrille and the home page.