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The history of the real Charentaise
The Charentaise was born in the 2 Charentes regions in the 17th century under the reign of King Louis XVI. The upper part came from felt cloth scraps used to make uniforms for the Royal Navy in ROCHEFORT (Charente Maritime). The straw traditionally used in peasants' clogs was replaced by these off-cuts, making them warmer and more comfortable.
The sole of the Charentaise comes from recycled sheets of woven felt used in the Angoumois paper mills (in Charente). To dry the newly-formed sheets of paper, they were pressed between 2 sheets of woven felt to extract the excess water. But after numerous pressings, the felt became watertight and therefore unusable. So the material was surprisingly reused to make soles.
That's how our shoemakers came up with the Charentaise, by recycling discarded textile scraps. They gave it its distinctive shape, adorned with a tongue that protects the top of the instep from the bite of the wood of the clogs, perfecting its comfort. Originally, Charentaises did not have right and left feet. The right and left feet in shoes were introduced around 1860 by Mr Alexis Godillot (a footwear manufacturer who supplied the French army for many years).
The Rondinaud brand
1907 birth of the Rondinaud brand in La Rochefoucauld (Charente) in the traditional Charentaise production area.
Théophile RONDINAUD, a shoemaker at the time in La Rochefoucauld, in the Charente, began manufacturing his comfortable woollen felt slippers.
In the 1950s, James RONDINAUD (his son) came up with the idea of modernising them, developing them and making them known the world over.
His version with the tartan top is now a universally recognised model.
RONDINAUD has been making charentaises for 4 generations in La Rochefoucauld-en-Angoumois, the historic birthplace of our legendary slipper.
From the creation of the collections, the development of the models and right through to manufacture, each stage of the design process is carried out in our workshop where 16 craftsmen perpetuate this century-old know-how whose technique remains unchanged.
To this day, we are the last manufacturers of charentaises in the Charente using the traditional cousu retourné technique, but also the oldest manufacturer of this emblematic product, the jewel in our department's crown.
The cousu-retourné technique
Ancestral know-how
It lies in this very precise gesture, which first consists of joining the top of the slipper to the sole by sewing with a thick cotton thread.
Then comes the stage of ‘détournage’, when the charentaise is put back on its place, using a tool called a ‘chèvre’.
The principle of cousu-retourné ...
as you will have understood, is to bring unequalled comfort and suppleness to the Charentaise. This is because it is assembled using only thread and requires no glue compared with other assembly techniques.
Authentic warp and weft woven felt
The comfort of our charentaises comes partly from the reverse stitching technique, and partly from the sole of woven felt.
With a thickness of 3 or 5 warps, it is easily recognisable thanks to the weaving threads visible on the front or back of the sole, and is still manufactured in the purest tradition using machines that also date back to the beginning of the last century. A point in common with our Charentaise!
This very specific quality made from wool, cotton and recycled fibres has been produced for 6 generations by ETS Tournier, in the purest tradition.
In the 1950s, the company perfected the coating process, making it possible to offer non-slip felt soles (also known as ‘crepe comfort’).
Today, it is the last wool manufacturer in France, Europe and the world to be awarded the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company) label for producing the original felt that gives our charentaise its comfort, authenticity and credentials.
The production stages
The punch
The upper (the outer part covering the slipper), the liner (the woollen part sewn onto the sole) and the woven felt sole are cut to size. There is a wrought iron punch for each size.
The stitching
The back of the liner and the edge of the liner are sewn together. The ‘baguette’, a strip of fabric, is then sewn to the inside of the upper to ensure comfort, this is called ‘baguettage’.
Edging
The edging consists of applying the border, a coloured braid, to the top edge of our famous Charentaises, which can now be assembled.
Assembly
Montage is the process of assembling the upper with the felt sole using a chain stitch, using the ‘cousu retourné’ technique - this is what makes the real Charentaise so special.
The inside out
This is where you see the finished product. With extreme delicacy but speed, a craftsman seated on a small stool turns everything right side up using two metal rods, the ‘chèvre’.
The result is
A supple, comfortable slipper with no visible seams.
Our Charentaises are ready to comfort every foot.
And now for
‘We want to continue our work in this part of the countryside that our people have tilled for so long. That's where our roots are’ said James RONDINAUD - extract from “MA CHARENTAISE ET MOI” - Memories collected by Yvon Pierron - published by Arléa.
