Did you know that the current Loafers 'Zapatos Castellanos' descends from a style of footwear worn by American Indians?

Well, although it is hard to believe, it is. Moccasins are a shoe style that has its origins in the footwear worn by American aborigines.

If you want to discover how this type of shoe has evolved, from these first moccasins to the current Spanish moccasins , you are in the right place, since in our online shoe store we are specialized in this type of shoe.

Loafers shoes, discover their origins

Although it is true that few similarities had the footwear worn by the American Indians with a current Castilian, if it is true that they share certain similarities, mainly in the way they are manufactured; We do not refer to the construction called kiowa. You can learn more by reading this article

Apart from this detail, the design of a current handmade Loafers, retains several strokes more than makes them similar to those original moccasins. As are the seam of the part of the toe, the lack of lining and the so-called kiowa manufacturing technique that we have commented previously.

Beyond these similarities, the differences between the moccasins worn by the Indians and a good Spanish shoe that we can buy today are many.

But... do you know where the current design of this shoe comes from? Contrary to what many people think, the design of today's moccasins popularly known as Castellano, does not come from a Spanish invention.

While it is true that it has been the Spanish footwear manufacturers who have managed to turn this type of shoe into a globally recognizable design; and a good example of this are the Edward´s shoes or the Martinelli loafers.

History of current Castellanos shoes

The first models of this shoe design that really resembled the current ones, emerged in the United States, these first designs were made with thick tanned and greased skins, they were also mounted with double leather sole, which gave them a high weather resistance and excellent durability.

These first moccasins reached a huge popularity and acceptance among men, since it was a very comfortable shoe, easy to put on and take off being a shoe that lacked laces, buckles or any another form of support. Simply the design of the shovel sewn to the rest of the shoe that formed the instep offered the necessary support to the foot, putting on a simple gesture.

Despite this popularity enjoyed in North America, and especially in the first decades of the twentieth century, the trend of this type of footwear would still take several years to cross the Atlantic to reach Europe.

In Spain specifically, we owe the arrival of this type of footwear to Fernando Castellano, who in the small shoe shop located in Hermosilla street in Madrid, began to manufacture bags, and leather tools, as well as custom footwear.

Although the store remains open since 1942, it was not until the arrival of the second generation, when the first moccasins that later became known as Castellano shoes were formed. It was there in the 60s when the brothers Lorenzo, Gloria and Fernando, belonging to this second generation of the Castellano family, shaped the first designs as we know them today.

The success of the design of these moccasins was such that many were the men who wanted to have this shoe model. This fame soon made many people begin to call them 'the shoes of Castellano' in clear reference to the family name that ran the place where they were made.

For years, the popularity of the Castellano family was closely linked to this type of footwear, to the point of turning this shoe into the star design of the workshop. In these early days, all shoes were made to order, in an artisanal way and due to high demand, sometimes customers had to wait up to three months to acquire their moccasins.

With the passage of time, the designs were diversified, with new models based on the traditional moccasin, new colors and ornaments. But it was not until the early years of the 1970s, when it acquired national fame thanks to the famous foal model with fringes and tassels. It was from there that the term Castellanos shoes began to be coined.

Although these first moccasins were designed exclusively for men, due to the success of the model, the first models Castellanos women shoes soon began to appear, with lasts adapted to the female foot and more colorful designs and colors.

Castellanos shoes for everyone

Due to the high demand, and the low production capacity of the workshop of the Castellano family, being a purely artisan manufacturing process, factories soon began to emerge that reproduced the model that had become famous with better or worse tino to the aforementioned workshop.

In towns like Fuensalida, located in the province of Toledo, artisans quickly emerged who specialized in this type of footwear. Amen of many other factories spread throughout the Spanish geography, which thanks to chain production processes managed to popularize this type of footwear.

There are many brands that flourished in those years, and that today are the current heirs of that first loafers Castellano. Some examples of these brands can be seen in the accredited LG-Lorenzo Márquez and Gloria Castellano, Castellano año 1920, Shoes Edward´s and Martinelli. In addition to others internationally such as Sebago that follow the trail of that ancestral American moccasin known as beefrool.

But although today many brands and factories that make this type of footwear coexist in the market, not all these moccasins are exactly the same. Leaving aside the quality of the leather used for the elaboration, there are other details, some more obvious than others, and that differentiate one shoe from another.

Perhaps one of the less obvious details, and which are more strict to detail the quality of the footwear, is the seam of the border of the instep (also called the beading)

The way in which this seam is made is divided into two large groups:

- On the one hand there is the sewn entrecarne that is made in a totally handmade way and that results in a much more elaborate moccasin and with a more elegant finish.

- And the second group is the one made with the crest stitched crest (also called American stitching) , which is normally done with the help of an automatic machine, and which results in one more seam accentuated on the shovel, something that brings a more casual air to the shoe.

Brands that are committed to quality and a more exclusive product, usually resort to sewing entrecarne to make their moccasins, and because this way of sewing the shoe is only possible to do it completely handmade, and requires great expertise and experience by the artisan, you get higher quality Castellanos shoes . A good example of this manufacturing can be found in the Premium models of Edward's shoes and in brands such as Castellanos 1920 among others.

Although the most common part of the manufacturers is to resort to American sewing, since it is a mechanized process, cheap Castellanos shoes can be obtained, although not of lower quality . As for example are the moccasins of the famous brand Martinelli .

At CalzadosRosi.com we have our own brand: Rosi since 1982 zapatos artesanos Castellanos, made in Spain by shoemaker craftsmen under the supervision of our experienced designer, to get some cheap Castellanos shoes, but of excellent quality.

Different moccasin styles and models

Although the design of this style of footwear has not undergone many variations over the years, it is possible to differentiate different types of Castellano shoe for several details, in addition to sewing with which are elaborated, as we explained earlier.

Entering the subject of models, although we can find a multitude of ornaments, and designs of the most varied, without a doubt there are two models, which with great difference, turn out to be the most used and demanded by both men and women.

First of this list is the classic mask model, also called beef roll , especially in Anglo-Saxon countries; This curious name is due to the shape of meat roll that has seams on both sides of the instep.

The second place is occupied by the tassel model, undoubtedly the most recognizable for wearing this characteristic ornament on the instep. There are many people who confuse them with the tassel loafers , and although the castellanos tassel shoe has the same characteristic ornament, they are not strictly the same type of footwear.

In addition to these two models, there is a wide variety of Spanish designs on the market with different ornaments, such as fringes, with metallic details, details of colored ribbons on the instep... and even designs that mix several of these ornaments, although it is true, that are usually less demanded.

Another feature that can help us make distinctions in this type of footwear is the soles. Although traditional models have always had the sole of natural leather, today and thanks to advances in technology and research of new materials, we can find Castellanos rubber sole shoes and even with materials ultralight, without reducing the elegance and quality of the final result.

Within our catalog you can find some examples, such as the Edward´s extra loafers , in addition to the increasingly demanded models with rubber soles.

Regarding the colors, although the palette of shades in which to find this shoe is wide (green, blue, black, burgundy, brown...), we can also determine that there are clear winners, we talk about black and the burgundy.

There is no doubt that they are by far the most demanded colors in this shoe style, although discerning which of the two is the clear winner could be complicated, since there are many people who usually have both black loafers shoes , like Burgundy loafers shoes .

And as a third option would be the moccasins in brown, which despite being somewhat less requested, have more and more supporters.

Handmade loafers shoes: A shoe for women and men

While it is true that the Castilian shoe has a type of draft usually more used by men, almost since the beginning of the journey of the small workshop on Hermosilla Street that gave name to this type of moccasin, there have also been many versions of the women loafers shoes .

It is not surprising that more and more women are joining this trend, especially those who are committed to the comfort that a flat shoe woman brings.

Although there are almost no differences between the models of men and women, if it is true that to achieve a perfect fit, the lasts have subtle changes, especially to ensure that the designs have a more feminine finish and fit better in the women's foot.

How to combine the Loafers shoes?

As a starting point we can say that moccasins in general and the Castilian style in particular is a shoe to wear with both sport and dress style. Although it is not the most suitable footwear for the most formal occasions, such as tag parties, or all those situations in which the use of a tuxedo or frac is required.

Whether we talk about styling for men or women, this type of footwear can be worn throughout the year and with any type of clothing. It is one of the most versatile models we can find, since we can perfectly wear it with a suit to wear in office looks, as can be combined with casual clothes, from jeans, shorts and even shorts. They can also be used without socks in the hottest months.

Wrong when it comes to wearing them is almost impossible, and the most common colors (black, burgundy and brown) are very combinable with almost all shades.

EURO	35	36	37	38	39	40	41
UK	2,0	3,0	3,5	4,5	5,5	6,0	7,0
USA	4,5	5,5	6,0	7,0	8,0	8,5	9,5

EURO	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46
UK	6,0	6,0	7,0	7,5	8,5	9,0	10,0	11,0
USA	6,5	7,0	8,0	8,5	9,5	10,0	11,0	12,0

EURO	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27
UK	2,0	3,0	4,0	4,5	5,5	6,0	7,0	7,5	8,5	9,5
USA	2,5C	3,5C	4,5C	5,0C	6,0C	6,5C	7,5C	8,0C	9,0C	10,0C

EURO	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
UK	10,5	11,0	12,0	12,5	13,5	1,0	2,0	2,5	3,5	4,0	5,0
USA	11,0C	11,5C	12,5C	13,0C	1,0Y	1,5Y	2,5Y	3,0Y	4,0Y	4,5Y	5,5Y

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