When Yves Saint Laurent put Castañer on the catwalk
The origin of Castañer dates back to 1776, when Rafael Castañer (his great-great-grandfather) began manufacturing espadrilles. The current company, the evolution of his small workshop, was founded by Luis Castañer (son of the first Rafael) and his cousin Tomás Serra in 1927 in Banyoles (Girona), but a chance meeting at a Paris fair in 1971 launched the humble espadrille to the fashion catwalks.
The couple formed by Lorenzo Castañer and Isabel Sauras –the next generation– coincided in the Parisian capital with Yves Saint Laurent, who commissioned them to make the espadrille an elegant and sensual shoe with a heel. “If YSL wants an espadrille with a wedge, she will have it!' Said my father, who was a forward-thinking man,” explains Rafael Castañer, currently Head of Design for the company and responsible for all the firm's collections. “There everything changed. The French designer decided to put them on the catwalk, and it was a success, which meant the brand's takeoff in the world of fashion”.
Rafael is part of the third generation of the espadrilles firm (a shoe originally with an esparto grass sole and today made of jute, a fiber of vegetable origin), whose work, commitment and vision of the future have built a great international brand of footwear.
Rafael studied Geography and History, but he did not have much of a teaching vocation and when his father died in 1993, he joined the family business at the age of 24 when it was coming out of a suspension of payments caused by a failed American adventure. “I felt that my duty was to try to help, to be close together to get ahead. My first important order was, with the numbers already closed, an order from Muji for 80,000 bags of one model in four colours, and all sewn by hand, for the Japanese market. It was like a lottery that fell out of the blue.” Later on, he represented different luxury brands, such as Calvin Klein or DKNY, and in 2003 he created the Castañer men's collection, with which he was very successful and was immediately able to sell them in various stores, such as Santa Eulalia, La Colette or Gonzalo Comella.
In 2020 the company had a turnover of 21 million euros. “Our production between the Castañer collection and private label is about 250,000 pairs a year, of which 80% is exported; and we have more than 700 points of sale in 61 countries. We have entered Japan again, but I would like to be more present in Asia and, above all, in the Caribbean area, where there is still a lot to work on”, he points out.
Passion since childhood
As a child, he was already fascinated by meeting the designers who visited the factory and seeing the mix of talent, good taste and knowing how to perceive what is going to work next season. “I have always liked creation very much, from the series of purchases of raw materials that were made in Bologna, Milan and Paris, through whose stores I love to walk. In these cities I have met many designers with whom I have a good friendship”. His admiration is divided among designers such as Nicholas Kirkwood, Rupert Sanderson, Pierre Hardy and Manolo Blahnik, with whom he has collaborated several times.
“But I also like to be a little up-to-date, from the web, of what is moving around the world, selling with the client, and even taking orders personally. This year we have been inspired by the sixties, which is a bit like the beginning of Castañer, the revival of the brand. The battle is intense in all sectors, but especially among the established fashion brands, although I think that there is a lot of fairplay in the segment, at least among those that I know”.
There are brands whose merit lies in having become the absolute synonym of a product, and espadrilles are Castañer; the firm has established itself as the fashionable summer footwear. Its informal touch has achieved great international renown and has seduced luxury brands such as Chanel, Hermès, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and, of course, YSL, which have resorted to the know-how, tradition and experience of the Catalan firm to develop this shoe. handcrafted so unique
From Marinlyn Monroe to Kate Middleton
Among the Hollywood stars and celebrities who have worn this Mediterranean shoe, well-known names such as Marilyn Monroe, Salvador Dalí, Penélope Cruz, Ava Gardner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cary Grant, Jacqueline Kennedy, Catherine Deneuve, going through royals like Diana of Wales, Kate Middleton or Queen Letizia, who is one of the great fans of these espadrilles.
To gain the trust of these VIP clients, Rafael reveals that they prepare “a very careful gifting, with personalized cards signed by me. All very personal and chosen, but without being very invasive. Nor has it been a great effort, because they are the first to fall in love with the brand and its charisma: we have a history and all the Mediterranean values”. Castañer's summary: "We were the first to take the espadrille out of the countryside and put it in Fabourg Saint-Honoré and Fifth Avenue in New York, and we gave it a chic and elegant touch."
The pandemic has hit many sectors of the Spanish economy hard, but the Castañer executive is optimistic and has set a series of objectives to continue progressing in the coming years. “We want to continue growing in all channels. One of the values of the company is the margin of development that we have. Despite everything last year, I am optimistic, because people want to go out, consume, and that is why we are positive”, he affirms. “We are a company with a tradition, a Mediterranean, timeless character, but with a point of innovation”.
