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Translated by
Nicola Mira
Published
Nov 8, 2016
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Espigas: the new-look espadrille goes from strength to strength

Translated by
Nicola Mira
Published
Nov 8, 2016

A lawyer by training, Bérangère Perret dreamed up the Espigas espadrille brand after a year-long family trip to South America. Perret's idea was to refashion the iconic shoes worn by the cowboys of Argentina, the gauchos.



The result was an urban version of the espadrille, "light, durable and redesigned French-style," featuring the typical square tip of the gaucho model. Espigas shoes are hand-crafted and assembled partly in Argentina, and are complemented by a series of colourful China-manufactured versions. The range features forty items, including leather, vegan leather, woollen, cotton or coated-canvas models, with plastic or anti-slip rubber soles.

Espigas espadrilles are priced between €35 and €55 and are currently distributed in about twenty stores worldwide, from Paris and Marseilles, where the company is based, to Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

Bérangère Perret exhibited for the first time at the latest edition of the Who’s Next trade show. She is planning to expand the brand in south-western France as well as in Japan and the USA, given the interest showed by American and Japanese buyers at the show.

The label is self-funded, and sold more than 5,000 pairs of espadrilles this year. It is currently considering the development of a French manufacturing facility, and is looking for investors to energise its expansion, notably outside of France.

Espigas created a series of limited edition models by collaborating with artists, and Bérangère Perret has also adopted a responsible approach for her brand: €2 for each pair sold are donated to the Mato Grosso humanitarian organisation.

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