It's been almost 100 years since two cousins combined their talent and efforts to found an espadrille workshop in Banyoles, in Pla de l'Estany. They surrounded themselves with a good human team, looked for the best raw material and designed exclusive machines to join the fibers. Luis Castañer and Tomàs Serra chose the name Castañer for the company without imagining that, a few decades later, intellectuals and artists would elevate the brand to the Olympus of design and fashion.

The first shoes were simple, modest and humble and they evolved and revolutionized the footwear market with that touch of distinction and elegance that characterizes them. The production process, however, has hardly changed in the last 90 years. In fact, Castañer continues to be a family company that has made the dream grow with each generation, always respecting tradition, preserving the artisanal production process and seeking both the raw materials and the inspiration for each collection in nature. Tradition, craftsmanship and nature, these three values ​​are as intertwined in its Mediterranean essence as the jute brought from India and Bangladesh to the machines that continue to provide service day and night in Banyoles. The result of his inexhaustible tap-tac-tac-tac-tac is a 100% natural lace, the basis for making the soles of all models. Expert hands prepare them one by one on a small rotating base that serves as a mold and looks like child's play: each turn draws and reveals the iconic silhouette of the espadrilles. After this process called warp comes the sewing of the sole: it is done by other master hands with the help of another unique machine in the world. Later, it's time for the stamp that adheres the rubber matrix to the sole, the vulcanization that seals the previous processes at a temperature of 150º, the addition of the classic heel piece of premium linen and cotton threads, of the final package, to include the colored ribbons that will delicately hold so many steps, so many summers, so many memories.

They have an unforgettable one, a memory, in Castañer, the meeting with the charismatic designer Yves Saint Laurent in the bright 70s. Together they created the first espadrille with a wedge, the one that fell in love with artists, actors, models and aristocrats, the same one that stylists took to the catwalks of the world and that thousands of women walked down the streets of towns and cities. That model that elevated the heel, the leg and femininity marked a before and after in the history of the company and of fashion because it projected it at an international level and broke the limits of creativity.

Throughout his career, Castañer has signed many collaborations, one of the last with the Spanish fashion designer Manolo Blahnik, known for his line of luxury women's footwear. And also, obviously, he has produced hundreds of models of espadrilles, as charismatic as the Castañera, the Carina or the Pablo that the great Dalí, Grace Kelly or Marilyn Monroe wore in their day. Not forgetting the dozens of collections that evoke his love for simple things and respect for the planet that needs so much protection, such as 'J'aime la terre', an ethical series built with recycled materials, consciously manufactured and leaving his commitment to craftsmanship intact. All of this contribution is evidenced by a shelf in the headquarters where, next to each other, samples of men, women and creatures as varied as the eras they lived are displayed.

Castañer is not an old brand, it's a great reserve wine, a reading that successfully crosses all times, an eternal classic that escapes temporality. It was born in the twenties of the last century, yes, but it has been able to grow, adapt, advance and create a trend. This is the only way to explain that it currently has a presence in around fifty countries, that it has opened up to 30 single-brand points and another 1,000 points in multi-brand channels. The fact that it has become a desired and indispensable label for the main It Girls and influencers of Spain, France and Italy is another proof of its young spirit. That is why this account is not his story but only a fragment. Castañer will continue to imagine and design the future of our steps. //