Style – You Say Espadrilles, We Say Castañer!

The origin of Castañer, Spain’s leading heritage espadrille family, dates back to 1776 and the birth of Rafael Castañer, the first espadrille maker of what grew to be numerous generations of espadrille crafters. Founded in 1927, the Castañer brand has lived through a number of vicissitudes, such as the Spanish Civil War in 1936. At the end of the 1960s, Lorenzo and Isabel Castañer met Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. He transformed a peasant’s shoe into a fashionable and luxurious consumer good compatible with the runway, and the brand took off. Since then, Castañer has seduced other first-rate fashion houses, namely Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Christian Louboutin, among others.

The espadrille has also established its iconic presence in cultural imagery, having been the shoe of choice for intellectuals, Hollywood actors and artists like Salvador Dalí. The trend caught on in the mainstream a few years ago and it is here to stay all summer long. This is our pick for you if you are after a comfortable, easy-to-throw-on, yet stylish shoe for the summer. Our advice? Go bold, go bright and go Med.

Castañer espadrilles, £80 each, from mrporter.com