The Making of Our Embroidered Espadrilles
"Each year, we work with a family-run espadrille factory in the arid sierras of Murcia that has generations of experience working with woven jute. Though we introduce new designs, colourways and embellishments to our espadrille collection every summer, there are three rather special satin additions this year, each of which features intricate floral embroidery." - Penelope Chilvers
Both comfortable and breathable enough to wear all day long, thanks to their natural jute sole, espadrilles remain a summer staple year after year.
This year, we have added three new styles to our espadrille collection which are perhaps our most elegant to date. The Alegra, High Gala and Mary Jane Embroidered Satin Espadrilles feature a soft satin upper and bespoke floral embroidery, bringing an elevated feel to a traditionally informal shoe.
Penelope drew the inspiration for the floral designs on our embroidered satin espadrilles from a shawl she found and fell in love with. She commissioned Maria José – who is a part of a talented community of women who've been hand embroidering and restoring Spanish shawls known as 'mantones de Manila' for generations – to develop the bespoke floral design for us.
Maria began by pencil-drawing the design on to paper and tracing it onto the satin fabric, before embroidering the satin by hand with cotton thread. This artisanal process took her a total of six weeks to complete, and Penelope loved visiting her regularly to watch the design come to life.
We then worked with a family-run espadrille factory to replicate the hand-embroidered designs onto our shoe satins to ensure optimum durability.
"Preserving heritage craft is – and has always been - very important to me, and blending the age-old tradition of espadrille-making with hand-embroidery to create a twist on the traditional Spanish espadrille might just be my favourite marriage of artisanal methods to date." - Penelope Chilvers
Designed for dancing long into the night, our new satin styles are available in varying heel heights and four colourways – navy, black, white and rose - so there's a style to suit every summer soireé, wedding and celebration you attend.
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