Castañer once again has its own store in the center of Barcelona. The emblematic Catalan luxury espadrille brand has just opened a boutique on Valencia Street 268, between Paseo de Gràcia and Rambla Catalunya, after closing the store it owned on Rosselló Street in 2020, during the pandemic, under the Cristina Castañer brand.
With this opening, the company owned by siblings Cristina, Luis, Rafael, Antonio, and Lorenzo Castañer once again has a direct street-level presence in the Catalan capital, iconic for the firm as it is the city where they opened their first store in 1994. In Barcelona, Castañer also manages two corners in El Corte Inglés centers in Plaça Catalunya and Diagonal and is present in various multi-brand stores.
The boutique on Valencia Street debuts a new interior design concept that seeks to highlight the Mediterranean character of the brand. This inauguration raises the number of directly managed points of sale of the group based in Banyoles (Girona) to 34, a figure that includes nine corners in El Corte Inglés and establishments in cities such as Madrid, Paris, Miami, Barranquilla (Colombia), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Santiago de Chile, or on the Caribbean island of Aruba. Some of these points of sale are franchised or have been opened in partnership with local partners.
This same month of March, Castañer has also opened a temporary store in Milan, on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, very close to the Duomo. Italy has been Castañer's main market since the early 70s, having gained a prominent position in the fashion world thanks to a commission from designer Yves Saint Laurent, which they successfully resolved: designing the first wedge espadrille. The successful encounter with Saint Laurent marked a before and after in the company's trajectory and positioning, as their popular espadrilles became sophisticated and essential footwear on all international runways and an object of desire worn by celebrities worldwide.
"We were pioneers in converting a basic product like espadrilles used by farmers into a fashion product that jumped from the countryside to the runways," recalls Luis Castañer, after mentioning that the pair of shoes designed for Saint Laurent is one of the pieces that are part of the permanent collection of MoMa in New York.
This strong association with the world of fashion and luxury goods is what allows the company to export 70% of its production year after year, reaching 450,000 pairs of espadrilles annually. In 2022, Castañer experienced a 25% growth, with sales of 24 million euros, compared to 19 million in 2021. The firm advanced especially in the domestic market, with a 34% increase, compared to the 20% increase achieved abroad. With more than 250 models ---40% are basics and the rest are seasonal collections---, Castañer shoes are priced between 110 and 295 euros. Women's collections account for more than 90% of sales.
In addition to Italy, its main clients are the United States and France. In parallel, to this presence in eight countries with its own distribution, Castañer adds a network of more than a thousand multi-brand points of sale and has an online store that generates more than 10% of its turnover. A very important part of the business corresponds to the production of designer espadrilles for third-party luxury brands.
100% of Castañer espadrilles are manufactured in Spain, in a plant that the family owns in Calatayud (Aragon), in another factory located at its headquarters in Banyoles ---where its famous jute soles are produced--- and in specialized workshops in the Elda area, in Alicante. "The process is still very artisanal, part of the sewing is done by hand and in Banyoles we have the same machines with which our grandfather, Luis Castañer, and his cousin, Tomas Serra, started the business in 1927," explain Luis, Rafael and Antonio Castañer in a conversation with The New Barcelona Post.
They are the three brothers of the third generation who are involved in the day-to-day business, responsible for the areas of production, design and finance, respectively. The group also has a general manager, Daniel Vancells, who joined the position in 2019 from KPMG. On the other hand, their sister Cristina is dedicated to MyBestys by Cristina Castañer, her own business project of sustainable bags that are also for sale in the new store on Valencia street.
"Technically we are the third generation, but we have documents that prove we are direct descendants of an artisan who was already producing espadrilles in Banyoles in 1776," they explain, to reinforce one of Castañer's key elements, its heritage, that is, the tradition, the know-how and the craft that has been passed down from parents to children. "We have never lost the essence of that master espardenyer, we have a great culture of well-made, high-quality product, which allows us to differentiate ourselves in the market," they highlight.
Along with tradition and craftsmanship, the firm plays two other cards to conquer the market: the use of sustainable and 100% natural materials such as jute ---which they import from Pakistan---, leather or raffia; and the Mediterranean character of the brand, which they reinforce with the concepts made in Spain and made in Europe, which work especially well in markets such as Asia. "Consumers are increasingly looking for more authentic products, a trend that favors us," they highlight.
The firm also keeps its connection with the fashion world very much alive and periodically launches capsule collections where the Castañer brand partners with that of great international designers. Thus, a month ago a collection with Diane Von Furstenberg was launched, explains Rafael, who points out that Castañer has also worked jointly with Manolo Blahnik, Missoni, Paul Smith and Joseph Altuzarra.
One of the company's strategic objectives is to boost its sales in Asia, a market that has suffered and that they now want to recover with the opening of new boutiques, although this will be more in the medium term, as they must first find the ideal partner in each country. In this sense, Castañer wants to focus on Japan ---where it had a store in the past---, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. "We will leave the Chinese market for later, it is very complicated," they admit.
Another of their challenges is to open a store in New York, a project they would like to see the light in 2024. "We want to carry out an orderly growth, taking maximum care of our distribution network," they warn, in the sense that they do not want to rush.
Upcoming signing of a family protocol
The three Castañer brothers assure that the company is neither looking for nor needs financial partners, nor do they think, at all, of selling the business, despite not having lacked offers. "We have never wanted to sell, it is not in our plans," says Antonio. "More than a family business, we like to say that we are an entrepreneurial family," Luis concludes.
They have also instilled this culture in the fourth generation, made up of eleven cousins, although, for now, none of them work in the company. Precisely, to regulate the access of new generations and establish rules that contribute to mitigating the complexity derived from the family's growth, the Castañers are finalizing the drafting of a family protocol that they plan to sign before the summer.