The Craft
Its definition and genealogy refer to a canvas shoe with jute or hemp rope soles, illustrating the proletarian footwear brought to Argentina by Spanish and French Basques in the 19th century. The precursor of local production was Juan Etchegaray, founder of Alpargatas Rueda. In 1870 he designed the first pairs using canvas purchased from Douglas Frazer and Sons, a Scottish firm dedicated to materials for candles.