0:00Jute is a plant fiber
that spun into strong,
0:02coarse twine for
traditional Basque
0:06espadrilles. They use
twine that's about a 10th
0:10Large jute spools feed
an automated braiding
0:13machine. Its five
bobbins move in a
0:16circular pattern that
produces a neat braid,
0:18measuring roughly three
fourths of an inch wide
0:21by a quarter of an inch
thick.
0:25Right after exiting the
braiding machine, the
0:28braid enters a
calibration machine,
0:30which applies tension to
make the dimensions
0:32uniform. Each espadrille
sole is handcrafted by an
0:38artisan. He winds the
braid on a form that's
0:41more than a century old.
0:43The positioning of the
metal pegs in the holes
0:46correspond to the size
of the shoe he's making.
0:49The closer the pegs are
to each other, the
0:52smaller the shoe size.
