About us-History of footwear in Elche
The history of footwear in Elche goes back several hundred years. Our city has a great shoe tradition, footwear is our first industry and the experience is passed down from generation to generation.
Footwear is the first economic engine of the city, the first artisans made the famous Espadrilles in small workshops.
The artisans of Espadrilles from 1892 began to sell throughout Spain and began to make their way in the International markets.
They have been dressing our feet for centuries and perhaps that is why we dominate their design and manufacture. And it is this mastery and quality that have made Spanish espadrilles have conquered the world.Espadrilles have been a shoe worn by peasants and military since the Roman Empire .
Great Hollywood actors and actresses of all time wore the famous Espadrilles made in Elche.
Not only Hollywood celebrities wore Espadrilles, but also painters, politicians, etc. The great fashion catwalks began to introduce the Espadrille as fashionable footwear.
Elche families whose economy is based on agriculture then needed to find another way of subsistence. In this way, artisan espadrilles began to emerge that made footwear at the door of their houses. It was an activity in which the whole family participated. Then they went to the markets of the nearby towns to sell them.
Great creators and entrepreneurs began to develop a quality industry in the city and not only were espadrilles manufactured, but they started with new designs and types of footwear. Juan Orts ( 1915 ) - Elche
At the beginning of the 20th century, advertising became the first showcase for the international sale of footwear in Elche
Elche 1940
Elche 1970
The newspapers of the time spoke with pride of the big factories that opened paths in the International market,factories that had up to 400 workers on staff .
The large orders of the army, which used this footwear for its soldiers, were those that allowed the productive structures to be strengthened. To this was added the sale to markets in other parts of the country, such as Madrid, Valencia or Barcelona, where the department stores began to be born in Spain.
Poster of 1900
In Elche the workshops multiplied and at the end of the century the first factories equipped with machinery emerged. At that time the demand was so high that the industry produced almost six million pairs of espadrilles a year.
During its first years, the market for espadrilles was mainly national. However, the producers of Elche began to set their sights on the outside of the country as a way to grow.Thus, they began to export to the Antilles and America. After the First World War, France and the Mediterranean countries joined. Little by little, exportation became one of the best assets in the industry. And so, it was able to modernize itself until mechanization reached the entire production process.
Businessmen from Elche in Japan
Currently, the footwear industry continues to have its base in the Valencian Community, especially in the city of Elche. So much so that it is in Alicante where half of Spain's footwear is produced.Export continues to be one of its mainstays today. In 2017, almost 150 million shoes were exported to countries such as France, Germany, the United States and Italy.But if there is something that demonstrates the high quality of Spanish footwear, it is the fact that despite the crises of recent years, the sector has been able to resist. And more than that, it has become one of the hallmarks of our national production. Everyone wants to put on our shoes! . Another of our references is our Espadrilles, which have become a style in fashion, the great luxury brands manufacture them here, in Elche.
Already in the 21st century, Elche has become the heart of quality footwear production in the world.
We are proud to be in the most modern business center in Europe "Elche Parque Empresarial"
The major luxury brands in the world are committed to the professionalism and tradition of Elche to make their footwear in our companies, generations of workers, entrepreneurs and craftsmen have been transmitting all the knowledge of footwear production.
Our history
Alexandro García is the last generation of a long history in the family. More than 110 years accumulating experience and that each generation has been in charge of transmitting all the techniques of artisan shoe manufacturing.
Artisan workshop
We do not work, what we do is to live the footwear with passion every day, creating with our hands the designs that our clients order from us.
It is a luxury to do what we like every day
We make your designs with your brand. We also have our own designs that we expose to our clients at different fairs.
