Ibizan-born Isabel Prats has for some years now honoured her roots in the place that has always been her home by plying her trade of Ibizan master artisan. A hard working, dedicated woman with a very special kind of patience, essential qualities needed for the laborious task of making the authentic Ibizan rope-soled espadrilles or “espardenyes”.
Isabel Prat took a course in this noble art in 2005, organised by the Consell d’Eivissa, and it changed her life. It was then that her passion for promoting and keeping alive Ibizan culture began, by designing and making espadrilles. “I think it is vitally important to retain the essence of our roots, keeping to the traditional ways for making our typical footwear, although with some innovations and a nod to modernity”, Isabel Prats tells us, having completed her training in 2008, she obtained certification as an “espardenyera” artisan, awarded by the Consell d’Eivissa. “I realised that this skill was being lost, as scarcely anyone was making “espardenyes de morret”, the typical rope-soled shoe worn by folk dancers in the “collas de ball pagés” (folk groups) which require extremely laborious preparation” she continues.
In 2015, the island’s top institution invited Isabel Prats to take part in the Paris International Fashion Fair, Who’s Next Paris, in order to showcase the craftsmanship and tradition of this emblematic Ibizan fashion accessory. It was precisely following this trip that her eyes were opened which led her to convince her daughter-in-law Patricia Monjo to create their own company to deal with all the espadrille orders that she was receiving. As a result, in 2016 Espardenyes Torres came into being. “We actually create three types of espadrilles: the “de morret” which is the authentic dance footwear, the open one for working in the fields, and the men’s espadrille, and with Espardenyes Torres we have also managed to become the only registered brand that produces espadrilles with a wedge”, the artist explains.
That same year, the designs and creations produced by Espardenyes Torres took to the Adlib Ibiza catwalk with their own show. “I wasn’t expecting it, I had always viewed Adlib’s success from afar, and their show in the communications media was something completely unattainable and when they told me I could hardly believe it, it was such a great opportunity to move forward,” Isabel Prats explains as she recalls the day that she was offered the chance to be a part of the brand that encourages and promotes designers working in Ibiza. “For me, Adlib Ibiza is timeless fashion, local fashion, a window on the outside world and true fashion” she adds.
Espardenyes Torres is a symbol of authenticity, quality and love for Ibizan traditions. Making an “espardenya de morret” takes time, a lot of patience and care, if you tell someone that the work involved in making an original “espardenya”, with the typical esparto rope sole, can actually take more than 20 hours and cost about 300 euros they would throw up their hands in horror, but then when they try to learn how to make them they say it’s impossible”, she points out. “Most of the espadrilles that we make are the open ones, as you can make a pair of these in one day” she explains. In this regard, the artisan tells us, her firm has managed to introduce a more modern version of this type of footwear, giving it a new lease of life, with shoes that can be worn “at any time of the day or night, adorned with flowers, different ribbons, every colour in the spectrum, gold threads or even accessories such as Ibizan buttons”.
Isabel Prats’ recommendations:
An ideal plan for Ibiza:
Visit Santa Agnès de Corona or Sant Mateu de Albarca. Join the village fiestas or wander around “Els Amunts”.
A memento to take home:
Typical Ibizan espadrilles made by Espardenyes Torres.
