Menorcan Sandals 

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Showing 1 - 50 of 123 items
Menorcan Sandals

In its origin, the “albarca” or covers is a type of rustic footwear always linked to the rural world, mainly made of leather or rawhide. At present, it covers the foot plants, and is secured to them with a leather strip above the heel, and a spade that covers the instep leaving the tip of the fingers open.

Avarcas are characterized by being a type of practical footwear and adapted to the environment, manufactured in a self-sufficient way by optimizing resources, and designed especially for daily work.

The avarcas of leather are undoubtedly one of the oldest forms of footwear in the Iberian Peninsula. There are many variants of this type of footwear in Spain (Basque albarcas, Castilian avarcas, etc.), although undoubtedly among the best known is the famous Menorcan avarca.

Since Menorcan Avarcas are native to Menorca, many people call them by their place of origin, and simply call them “Menorcan”.

Although its origin is attributed to the rural area of ​​the island of Menorca, there are others that suggest that Avarcas have a military origin. It is said that the first to use them were the “slingers”, former soldiers of the Balearic Islands, from the time of confrontation between Hannibal and the Romans, who fought by throwing stones with a sling.

Given that the land of the island of Menorca is very stony, the peasants of the area needed a resistant and flexible footwear at the same time, so they began to use the avarcas during their long days of rural work, to protect their feet.

Originally, these avarcas were made entirely in leather, but during the first half of the twentieth century, thanks to the proliferation of modern vehicles, they began to use other materials in the sole: Recycled tires, when these were no longer usable by vehicles. Currently, other rubbers, plastics and synthetic materials are also used, but the tire tread is still one of the most widespread.

This was a decisive change given that today they are known precisely for their characteristic tire sole. Thanks to this sole, the current covers are even more resistant, non-slip and flexible. They also protect the foot much better from moisture and irregularities of the ground.

The current avarcas are characterized by the resistance and durability of the sole, its flexibility, and the relatively inexpensive manufacturing.

It was from the 60s when this rural footwear transcended the summer scope in general, being “exported” by tourists from the islands.

Menorcans never go out of style thanks to the fact that, in addition to their characteristic advantages, they have adapted to fashion trends. The manufacturers have been able to adapt them to current trends, and today there are variants of all styles: flat, wedge-shaped, engraved, with colourful serigraphs and even with pyrography.

The resistance of avarcas makes them especially suitable for the most “shoe-breakers”: Children. For them, in addition to their traditional fastening system (a leather strap behind the heel), they have been adapted for the little ones by adding a buckle or a Velcro closure.

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