I’ve taken so many art classes over the years in the hope that one will magically unlock the secret artistic skills I possess. Despite no magic occurring, I keep trying new, and often frustrating, art classes to see if maybe my talents are hidden deep down just in case there’s an opportunity to discover my inner Pollack.  Silly hope has filled my house with a one-of-a-kind art collection and many funny stories.

So when I saw the “Make Authentic Espadrilles in Barcelona” experience on Airbnb Experiences my first thought was “shoes, I love shoes”, my second thought was “how hard can it be to decorate espadrilles?”.  Circle back to my lack of artistic talent and tendency to overthink each logical step and you can pretty much guess that my mind mislead me into the class with a sense of “I can do this”.

Immense credit goes to the owner Luis and the support staff who had the patience of a thousand saints with me. 

So let’s dive into this very unique, bespoke experience in Barcelona because even if you can’t draw a stick figure, the team at HandMade Barcelona will make sure you leave with a pair of shoes you designed. The shoes will be your unique one-of-a-kind masterpiece with a story plus you get the extra benefit of supporting local artisans to continue their craft in the city.

Finding Handmade Barcelona in the Gothic Quarter

The taxi driver dropped me off and pointed at the alleyway into the Gothic Quarter.  This maze of streets with shops and restaurants is crowded at night but early on a Saturday morning, it’s empty.

Using the CityMapper app, I navigated the pedestrian only zone making rights, lefts and going straight until I found Carrier Del Call 7, the only open shop on the street at 9 am.  The bright lights and colorful displays drew me like a moth to a flame.

Making Shoes in Barcelona – Class Basics

With a limit of ten participants, the two hour espadrille workshop is offered twice a day at multiple times throughout the week. The class can be offered in eight languages (wow!). I booked the English language class on Saturday morning from 9am – 11am.  The Saturday morning class takes place before the store opens and you can expect some gawkers wandering by and peeking in wondering what’s going on and thinking why I am not doing that.  Classes fill up quickly so definitely book in advance to avoid being the gawker who missed out.  Prices vary from $57 – $91 per person and includes one pair of basic espadrilles (wedge heels are extra fee).

Our class included two couples leaving on a cruise the next day, a couple on their honeymoon, two sisters catching up and two solo travelers, me and a girl from Toronto.  Ages ranged from 20’s – 60’s so this is an activity for all.

Hand Made Espadrilles in Barcelona

The owner of Handmade Barcelona, Luis, welcomed us to his shop and explained how his family history influenced his decision to carry on the tradition that skipped his parents (they are teachers). He also provided history and highlighted handmade products in the city and how important it was to support the small businesses and artisans. He has a social mission to continue to help artisans.  He showcased his creations which range from what you might consider simple design (2 needles) to the more intricate designs (one shoe involves 15 needles!).  He has his designs for sale along with other Spanish shoes. The small shop, one of many in the city, is a feast for your fashion eyes and a treat for your feet.  The unique designs are also available on a made to order option which includes international shipping which includes the US.

From there he explained the history of the espadrille which I didn’t know so that was interesting to learn.  While he was speaking, the group was trying on different sizes (espadrilles are unisex and use EU shoe sizing) and learning how to convert their US size to EU sizes (I’m a US women’s 11 which is EU 42). With a crate full of colorful espadrilles, we then had to choose a color and for a few women they upgraded to a heel (extra fee).  Once we had the espadrille color and our sizes sorted, we went to the wall of ribbon to pick the colors.   As silly as it sounds, picking both the shoe color and associated ribbons were hard for me, ribbon color alone hurt my head.  For context, while I love a box of 64 crayons, I’m more content with the original eight. There were just too many color combinations to calculate rather than just go with the flow and have fun.

Each student was given two large needles to thread the ribbon.  We then had to measure the ribbon out using our arms to cut lengths.  Armed with the two needles and threaded ribbon we were all ready to complete the mission – we had two options – easy (far right black/white) or harder (second on right with red ribbon).

You already know I picked “easy” while the rest of the group went with “harder”. And the “easy” version involved multiple criss cross patterns at the front of the shoe with a long lengthwise ribbon and thread pattern on the back of the shoe.  It’s probably here I should tell you I threaded wrong as the ribbon goes through both needles unlike sewing needle where you need just one. My high hopes were quickly dissipating as my mind was counting all the missteps and how far behind I was against the group.

“How long can we stay to finish?” I asked and was told “we are open until 9pm tonight” which gave the group a hearty laugh. I wasn’t laughing and quickly calculating the time remaining and things I needed to do.

I poked the needle in the first shoe (harder than it looks) and tried to keep the pattern in mind to copy it.  I had to pull the needle out twice and start over which continued to put me behind pace with the others. When I was done the top part of the shoe. I realized that finishing the shoe might likely cause me to melt down so it was best to stop while I was ahead. I called Luis over and told him I was done with this shoe and he directed his assistant to do the final loops as she had with the other shoes. The fact that I signed up, showed up and moved forward were all big wins for me.  I would not become the next Stuart Weitzman in Barcelona so it was best to move on to the other shoe.

I quickly got moving because after the many restarts on the right shoe, I was ready for the left one….or so I thought.  I could see the ribbon pattern, space and sizing wasn’t the same.  It was at this point; I accepted my shoes and skills as they were. Unless you were looking closely you wouldn’t see the faults and since they are shoes and most folks will look down, they won’t see the faults either.  As I watched everyone around me finish off their shoes with layers of ribbon and charms. While they walked around the store, I asked for the final touch up to call it a day so I could finish on time with the others.

My size 42 (US 11) shoes were complete, and I was happy with them.  The black canvas was decorated with pearl white ribbon in a way that suited me and reminded me that it’s ok to try something new and leave with a unique souvenir and memorable experience. My family thought they were great (note: your family will love your art at any age, from elbow macaroni portraits in kindergarten to handmade shoes decades later. I believe it’s a rule).

Look at the amazing creations of the talented class.

Final Thoughts on the Espadrille Experience in Barcelona

I highly recommend Luis’ Handmade Barcelona Espadrille experience.  It’s really fun if you don’t overthink it like I did.  My analytical mind was in charge, hence the spacing differences and worry whereas the artistic license should have prevailed. One of my favorite quotes that I often remind myself is “Comparison is the thief of joy” which is always relevant in any art class.  There’s no need to add stress to what is supposed to be carefree and fun on vacation.

 

Note: If you are unable to travel to Barcelona but want a handmade creation, you can easily order online and customize your shoes for international shipping to bring a bit of handmade Barcelona to your shoe closet.  Such a great idea for when you want your shoe style and fashion to stand out as unique.