Rope-soled shoe
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Rope-soled shoes have soles made from rope or rope fibres. They were formerly a cheap, disposable, hand-made item. However, the widely made espadrille comes in many styles and can include expensive fa
Espadrilles in a shop in Barcelona
Traditional espadrilles made from esparto
Woman wearing modern jute espadrilles showing jute's lighter colour
Bast shoes
Sennit
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Sennit is a type of cordage made by plaiting rope fibres or strands of dried fibre or grass. In western European nautical traditions, it was used to make flat plaited straps for use aboard ship. It ca
Rope-soled shoe
…worn by sailors, particularly in hotter regions. Sailors would make their own shoes by hand while out at sea. They used a plaiting technique called sennit to create the soles and straps out of rope yarn and canvas, materials which were readily available on sailing ships. This practice was definitely still…
Magimagi sennit of Fiji around wooden ceiling posts.
A sacred god figure wrapping in sennit for the Tahitian war god 'Oro.
Polynesian ceremonial stone adze (toʻi or toki in Polynesian languages) lashed in sennit around the blade with carved handle, 1891-1892