Angarde

Angarde was founded in 2014 by siblings Astrid and Alexandre Suermondt, who grew up in the French Basque Country wearing espadrilles as children and built their first product around that regional shoe. The company describes its name as an invented word blending 'avant-garde' with an old-French sound, meant to signal a bridge between traditional espadrille-making and updated, more sustainable production. Shoes are made in partner workshops in Portugal, which Angarde credits for artisanal know-how, using organic cotton grown without pesticides for the uppers. The company holds B Corp certification and frames its work around circularity and reduced waste in footwear manufacturing. In 2022 Angarde expanded beyond footwear into 'responsible clothing,' adding loungewear and slippers designed to be worn from day into evening, alongside its original espadrille lines such as the Cenitz model for men and women. The brand remains a family-run operation rather than backed by outside ownership, and stays based in Paris while manufacturing continues in Portugal and Spain.