Flabelus represents a turning point in the footwear industry thanks to its revolutionary proposal: the traditional Spanish espadrille is transformed into Flabelus, a very comfortable shoe that brings the centuries-old structure and stitching of Spanish espadrilles into the 21st century. It is a modern espadrille, full of colour, light and ready to be worn all year round. Flabelus has managed to consolidate its presence in major fashion cities such as New York, London, Paris, Milan and Madrid, with eleven flagship shops and new openings planned in more cities. In addition, its reach extends to more than 40 countries, and its online platform has conquered a global audience.
Sustainability initiatives and values:
For us, being made in Spain and by craftsmen is the basis of a sustainable project. Sustainability is a fundamental part of Flabelus. Flabelus espadrilles are not only worn in summer, but all year round. We work with espadrille artisans who use their ancestral techniques, construction and hand sewing in each Flabelus. Thanks to us, our artisans have work all year round, when before they only worked in the summer season. In this way, we keep the local community active and enable them to continue making not only Flabelus, but also espadrilles, which were in danger of disappearing due to lack of labour. Furthermore, we promote culture and ancestral craftsmanship, the Spanish heritage, in all corners of the world. The traceability of the production process is total, with completely transparent production lines in Spain, and we are working hard on the traceability of raw materials.
At Flabelus, we are proud to say that we do not use plastics in our products and we try to minimise the use of materials such as elastane or polyester. We make a careful selection of our materials, mainly recycled and organic (with their corresponding certificates that give us a better guarantee), the packaging is 100% recycled and recyclable, and we have chosen recycled bicycle tyres for part of the soles. We like to opt for more natural fibres, and there is a reason for this. It is a scientific fact that cotton may use more natural resources, such as water, during its growing phase, but this is compensated for at the end of the product's life. What happens when this footwear is no longer functional? The real problem is not production or consumption per se, the real problem is, where do all these textiles end up? In landfills. And why is it so difficult to dispose of the product? Because of its composition. It is much more difficult for a material made of plastic fibres to disintegrate than if it were made of natural fibres. This is the main reason why we choose our natural fibres as our best sustainable stock. We can also openly say that we do not use real fur or other animal parts in the creation of our products.
