While they get their name from the ancient Greek city of Sparta, they weren’t invented in Greece but rather in Egypt; the sandal’s name is actually a reference to the intense education of young Spartans. This enduring learning period for future warriors emphasized rigor, discipline, and an austere existence. Their heads shaved, they possessed one coat per year and walked barefoot. But the origins of these sandals definitely lies in Ancient times, influenced by the statues and stone engravings of Pharaoh Amenophis IV and his wife Nefertiti. Symbolizing the two of them wearing simple strapped sandals, this is where the Spartan sandals first began. In the 20s, the shoes were reinvented by a shoemaker named Boulanger who, having identified them on Roman statues, began creating them for the fishermen of his village. Finally in 1927, another shoemaker, Monsieur Rondini, would imitate the sandal. Both from Saint Tropez, these two men would both open their own boutique. With artisanal fabrication and attention to authenticity, they would be dubbed “tropéziennes”. To differentiate them from one another, they would become multi-strapped shoes that rose up to the ankle or the calf.
The object would reappear in the period between the two World Wars. It would reach the height of its popularity as a number of celebrities owned a pair like Colette, Marlene Dietrich, Juliette Greco, or Michèle Morgan, without forgetting Brigitte Bardot in the 60s. Most recently, top model Kate Moss was photographed getting out of her car wearing a pair of Spartan sandals, thus rekindling the legend. Numerous couturiers and designers have reinvented the shoe this summer. The proof that Galliano, Givenchy, Gaultier, Balenciaga, and many others have conceived iconic pairs for each of their collections. With just a few strips of leather, you’ll never have to walk barefoot again.
Leave a Reply