London-based company Drilles is doing just that. Launching a range of unisex multicoloured leather espadrilles - the perfect all day any day shoes that will take us anywhere.
Created by fashion, features and lifestyle journalist Amy Williams, the company is working closely with workshops and skilled craftspeople in Spain to produce ‘drilles’ of the very highest quality using carefully selected materials and traditional techniques.
Made in soft Nappa leather, Drilles are fully leather lined and fitted with a soft cushioned insole. Each shoe is finished with a custom-made rubber sole which protects the jute from damp and dirt.
An exemplary ambassador of her brand, Amy is in Drilles day and night - country, city and holiday - choosing Portobello Pink, Berlin Black and Formentera Blue.
The espadrille hasn’t always been a summer fashion staple. There is no other item of footwear that remains so unchanged in design, yet so far promoted within social status, use case and consumer price point. Originally crafted in the Occitania and Catalonia regions of France and Spain, its name derives from ‘esparto’, the species of plant that was originally burned then braided to create its iconic sole.
These humble, flat, rope-soled shoes, date to the 13th century, originally worn by military soldiers then by priests, and by around 1880, most espadrilles were sold to mine workers, and exported to South America.
Around 1950, both men and women realise their potential as a comfortable fashion item - and as fashion evolved this shoe design was reinvented to better suit the times.
Fast forward to the shoe we now know, already 40 years after Yves Saint Laurent first thought about adding a wedge - the espadrille shows no signs of slowing in popularity - with most of the iconic fashion houses creating their own design.
The Drilles objective is straightforward. Finely woven, traditional jute soles are spun from natural fibre chosen and tested for its strength. All our jute soles are sourced from a specialist factory in the Spanish province of Murcia.
I decided to be bold, and chose the Rio Red. Perfect with my bright summer dresses, demim and all white - with the signature ‘drill’ detail on the heel in pale pink.
Simple, stylish and versatile, Drilles told me that I would want to travel in them, loaf in them, dance in them and walk for hours in them...
And guess what? I do!
#whateveryourdrill #drilles #downtomydrilles
June 2018