Here they are, our first espadrilles! And we wanted to make them with a brand that makes the most comfortable espadrilles in my opinion: Escadrille.
Escadrille tackled two problems that espadrilles wearers are familiar with:
- espadrilles are not always comfortable, whether it's the rope insole which irritates the foot, or the shape which lacks hold
- espadrilles have a reputation for wearing out prematurely
Escadrille not only solved these problems, but took the espadrille to another level thanks to:
- a sole much more resistant than an average espadrille
- a fully leather insole
- sewn to the upper for impeccable wear over time
- and soft thanks to a layer of foam
- a differentiated right and left foot (yes, yes this detail is very important)
- three organic cotton and linen fabrics woven in France 🇫🇷
- high-end Spanish manufacturing 🇪🇸
- and many other finishes for you to discover…
But before going into details, let's start with the story of Escadrille, or rather, with the story of a man who put unwavering determination into creating the espadrille of his dreams...
How do you create the espadrille of your dreams?
It all starts with Georges.
Basically, Georges is an engineer. But he is also a big fan of espadrille, this shoe that reminds him of his childhood and his vacations...
But Georges is not satisfied with the current offering, and his engineering perspective pushes him to want to create a product to improve the issue of durability and comfort.
Although he doesn't come from a footwear background, he did a few tests, more motivated than ever at the idea of taking the espadrille to another level. It was in 2007.
He realized that reinventing the espadrille took longer than expected, and it would take him a little less than three years to arrive at a truly successful product.
But it's not over: creating a prototype that meets your needs is one thing, but being able to industrialize it is one thing. And in Georges' case, he ends up realizing the obvious: in France, no one is capable of reproducing his comfortable and durable espadrille on a large scale.
He therefore met Philippe Gavalda, from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a big name (if I may say so) in the world of espadrilles, to launch his manufacturing in Spain.
And without realizing it, Georges, a passionate engineer, had just created an espadrille with remarkable finishes, surpassing most espadrilles sold for €300 - €500.
And he called the brand Escadrille, a play on words with “espadrille” and a family tribute to his family in aeronautics in Dijon.
But Georges is more of an engineer than a trader, and given the great seasonality of the product, he has difficulty sustaining his activity, and he begins to look for another profession and to sell his business.
And that's where he met Elise, who bought Escadrille in 2017. Elise had wanted to start a business since she was 18, and it was a very good page for her to write, because the basic product was excellent.
For 4 years, she has been dusting off the brand, developing the models and the activity. But she doesn't forget Georges, because he still has some shares in Escadrille.
Here is Elise (left) with her partner Florence, on a trade show stand.
Elise's mission now?
- install Escadrille as the benchmark sneaker, in terms of comfort and durability.
- take the uniqueness of Escadrille to another level.
And in fact, we will now see what makes an Escadrille so unique and why we wanted to collaborate with this brand.
Why a BonneGueule x Escadrille espadrille?
Above all, I have Basque roots and it is important for me to contribute in my small way to Basque culture. Suggesting a sneaker is one of them.
And above all, I have often repeated that I am a big fan of espadrilles in summer, for several reasons:
- the very strong imagination of the espadrille: when you put one on, more than having a casual style, you become relaxed! We immediately relax and are transported to vacation,
- the unique style, which goes just as well with Bermuda shorts and a t-shirt as with a shirt and a jacket.
Example here:
So let's now see how an Escadrille is built.
Fully leather insole
If a pair of Escadrille is so comfortable, it is largely thanks to this unique feature, which I have never seen elsewhere: the insole of the espadrille is fully lined in leather.
Whereas on a classic espadrille, even a very high-end one, there is simply a piece of leather that is glued to the heel and that's it.
At Escadrille, the leather covers the entire insole, and it is also sewn - and not simply glued - to ensure the best resistance over time.
The leather used for the lining is soft and has nothing to do with the roughness of an insole made of ropes, like on an ordinary espadrille.
It's very soft on the foot, and given that leather is a porous material, it manages excess foot perspiration wonderfully and considerably reduces bad odors if you wear our espadrilles barefoot (which is my case). ).
But that's not all ! To add comfort, Escadrille uses a little secret: there is a layer of foam which gives “soft” cushioning that is absolutely unique for an espadrille.
The result ? A unique comfort that I can no longer do without, thanks to this ingenious combination of “foam layer + fully leather insole”.
This is why I can wear a pair of Escadrille for a day + an entire evening without worry, and walk for miles. And I guarantee that once you taste this comfort, you will have a hard time going back.
Whereas with a classic espadrille, my foot gets irritated because of the rope after a few hours, especially if I walk for a long time.
The right foot differentiated from the left foot
It seems simple, but on most espadrilles, each foot has the same shape, there is no left or right foot.
Not at Escadrille, where the right foot has a different shape from the left foot.
The espadrille therefore fits the foot much better, this is very obvious if you compare your pair of Escadrille to another espadrille.
A durable sole… and resolable!
Casually, the addition of this sole gave quite a bit of trouble from a technical point of view (I talk about it a little further down).
But it's worth it because it's a resolable sole!
So of course, some people may find the project too difficult, but a good shoemaker can do it. If after two or three summers you wish to restore freshness to your sole, do not hesitate to contact Escadrille on this subject.
Because I tell you everything: the question of sustainability
When we talk about sneakers, the question of durability is inevitable, and let's be honest: sneakers carry an image of premature wear behind them.
Concerning my pair of Escadrille, they are slowly going into their third summer, having been worn "normally", that is to say not every day for two months, but not 2 or 3 times a month either. Several ports per week I would say.
A musette tip: a nod to my mother for a traditional finish
The musette toe is this set of threads sewn to the front of the espadrille.
My mother, who is Basque, always told me that a quality espadrille had this famous musette toe, and that it was the first thing I should look for when choosing an espadrille.
So I wanted to pay him a little tribute by asking him about this collaboration.
In addition to this nod to my mother, I wanted the bag tip for two other reasons:
- it protects the fabric at the front of the espadrille,
- and above all it is a finish which gives a great character to the espadrille, which gives soul, in line with the tradition of the espadrille.
The other materials of this espadrille
A linen lining
And visually, it gives character compared to a cotton lining...and even more! Remember that most espadrilles are not lined.
A leather edging tanned in Spain
Other finishes to discover
A special hand-sewn
Yes, the sole is sewn to the fabric by hand, it's not a machine that does that!
But here too, to ensure consistent quality, Escadrille used a trick: the holes in the fabric through which the needle must pass are formed before the needle passes.
This allows for real regularity in sizing at the time of assembly. Because in the case of a "lambda" espadrille sewn by hand in a "classic" way, as long as the worker pulls a little on the fabric when sewing, this can modify the sizing by a few millimeters and we can find yourself with a half size more or less. It’s even more annoying when one foot is bigger/smaller than the other…
A heel sewn in two parts
If you look at the inside of the sneaker, at the heel, you will see that the fabric is cut in half and sewn, instead of having a strip of fabric that goes around the entire heel.
This is intentional and allows you to have an espadrille that fits the heel better, and therefore, to have a better fit.
A VERY particular arrangement of the rope sole
When prototyping his espadrille, Georges noticed a small problem: a classic rope sole + its reinforcement sole made the espadrille a little stiff when walking.
It was therefore necessary to find a way to make everything more flexible.
To understand how he did it, we must first briefly explain how the rope sole of an espadrille is made.
Usually, the rope sole is made up of a strap that is rolled up on itself, like a snail's shell (imagine that when you look at the espadrille in profile, it's as if you were looking at the edge from a snail shell).
On an Escadrille, it is still a strap, but it is no longer rolled up on itself. It is arranged in a "zigzag", which allows the strap to be more flexible when walking, and therefore to have a less stiff sole.
In this photo, you can clearly see the rope wound in a "zigzag" pattern specific to Escadrille.
Three cotton and linen fabrics, woven in France, adorn these espadrilles
Unique French know-how from Manufacture Métis
You know, we love fabrics with grain and roughness, and that's why we love Japanese fabrics. But for these espadrilles, we wanted a much more local fabric, a fabric woven in France…
And the only supplier capable of providing a fabric with sufficient roughness is Manufacture Métis. Behind this name, there is only one man: Cédric Plumey, who does everything, all alone, and who started from scratch.
His incredible story was told by Mathieu here, I highly recommend reading it!
There are therefore three models of espadrilles, for three colors, where organic cotton and European linen mix…
Color #1: a beautiful olive
ID card
- 55% organic cotton 45% linen
- Origin of linen: France, spun in Poland
- Origin of cotton: Türkiye, GOTS certified, spun in Germany
- Woven in France 🇫🇷
- Weight: 400/410g/m2
Color #2: indigo denim that will fade
ID card
- 55% indigo-dyed cotton 45% bleached linen
- Origin of cotton: Türkiye, spun in Türkiye and dyed in Spain
- Origin of linen: France, spun in Poland
- Woven in France 🇫🇷
- Weight: 360g/m2
Color #3: a bright ecru
ID card
- 55% linen 45% organic cotton
- Origin of linen: France, spun in Poland
- Origin of cotton: Türkiye, GOTS certified, spun in Germany
- Woven in France 🇫🇷
- Weight: 260/280g/m2
Because we tell each other everything: the question of price
As you can see, this collaboration with Escadrille is not really an espadrille like any other. Between the organic French fabric used, the entirely leather insole, the hand stitching, the linen lining, the durable outsole, we are very far from an ephemeral espadrille.
You will experience what a truly premium, durable and supremely comfortable espadrille is. And you'll even wonder how you did it before.
As a result, it is an espadrille that will be under €100, where, with such a level of quality, any other luxury brand would sell it for at least €300, if not more (look at the price of espadrilles from luxury brands if you don't believe me.).
How to get our new parts?
Landing this Saturday, June 19 from 11 a.m. on our e-shop and in our stores.
