Guest Post: Chic Soufflé on Valencia as a Modern Consumerist's City

Good taste is a difficult thing to have or acquire, but an invaluable attribute in the modern consumer society. Today I'm inviting a very good friend and fellow Valencia blogger, Chic Soufflé, to provide you a consumerist's geography of Valencia, a roadmap if you will. I follow her blog avidly—it being a blend of musings on international fashion and design trends and cross-cultural (US-Spain) exchange—knowing that it will always be in good taste.

Chic Soufflé's blog, "an eclectic mix of fashion, gastronomy and art. Why not?"

In the last year or so, Valencia has seemingly had a consumerist revival, with the grand opening of 3 (of my favorite) international stores. It is the third largest city in Spain, and one where it feels like shoppers never stop shopping. (Crisis, what crisis?) For those of you who are not familiar with the “shopping layout” of the city —I’m not talking about malls—, I will attempt to give you some tips on how to shop til you drop.

Valencia's new Apple Store on Colón

Probably the most well known shopping area in the city is Calle Colón. The area on and around this major street includes a couple of locations of the ubiquitous department store El Corte Inglés (not the only ones in the city), plus a good assortment of franchises and brands popular in Spain. Here you can get your fix of Inditex stores (Zara, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Uterqüe, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius), or other Spanish classic fashion stores like Mango, as well as the popular H&M, shoe brand stores like Camper, cosmetic stores like The Body Shop, jewelry stores like Tous, etc. It is also on this street where at the end of 2011 two of my favorite stores, Muji and Apple, opened. I’m sure all of you know Apple and there’s not much I can say there that will be news to you, but if you don’t know the Japanese store Muji, I recommend you stop by to check out what I can only describe as minimalistic and pragmatic merchandise (and travel-conscious!)

Elegant Japanese design at Muji

Uterqüe, higher end of the Inditex stores

Around Calle Colón there’s a small area of pedestrian shopping streets packed with stores, cafés, and restaurants. One of them is Pasaje de Ruzafa, where the lovely British store Lush opened in 2010 (yay!). They have amazing handmade cosmetic products (their bath bubble bars and soaps are to-die-for), so I recommend a shopping stop here if only to smell their products.

Delicious smelling bath salts from Lush

Right on the other side of Colón, beginning with—and centering around—Calle Jorge Juan, there is an area of smaller boutiques and brand name stores as well as a nice pit stop for the weary shopper, the Mercado de Colón. This beautiful historic building now hosts cafés and restaurants on their ground floor, a perfect open space to take a break from the busy Colón area. 

El Mercado de Colón at dusk

It’s around Jorge Juan where you can find more exclusive boutiques, and some Spanish designer names, but also international brand stores like the classic American Kiehl’s or the French furniture and design store Habitat. This last one is actually located in a very cute galleria called Galería de Jorge Juan. And around this area, you can also find some of the best pastelerías to buy fancy and delicious cakes and pastries, such as Monplá or La Rosa de Jericó. There is also one of Cacao Sampaka’s fine chocolate shops nearby, highly recommended for chocoholics. And if you are missing American cupcakes, do not worry, in the last few years they have become really popular and are popping up everywhere in Spain. Here there are a couple of chains that serve this sweet treat, among them the local Cupcake Valencia. 

Old and new pastry shops: La Rosa de Jericó (left), Cupcake Valencia (right)

Cacao Sampaka

Having covered one of my favorite shopping areas, it is now time to switch directions and go towards the small pedestrian Calle Don Juan de Austria. By the main exit of the Colón metro and one of the El Corte Inglés buildings, this street has mostly shoe and clothing stores, but also another shopping galleria, the Galería Don Juan de Austria, and a couple of international cosmetic stores, Sephora and L’Occitane. And of course, it’s yet another place to find the Inditex usual suspects, but hosts other popular Spanish clothing stores like Blanco. If you are hungry, visit Bar Casa Mundo, one of the famous places in town to stop for tapas and their famous bocadillo de calamares (OK, maybe not the best anymore, but certainly a classic).

Pedestrian shopping street of Don Juan de Austria

At the end of this street, crossing the Calle de las Barcas, is Calle Poeta Querol or, what some of us refer to jokingly as the “Valencian golden mile” (la milla de oro) because a lot of the luxury brands have stores on or around this street. Unlike in other cities, our so-called “golden mile” is not in one of the city’s avenues, but instead on quite a small street that does not get as much foot traffic. I guess that’s because if you can afford to shop in these stores, you know where they are and just go there, but it’s interesting that there’s not a lot of window-shopping in this area. You will find international designer names such as Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Hugo Boss or Salvatore Ferragamo, and Spanish designers like Loewe or Purificación García. The famous (and the only international) Valencian porcelain company Lladró has a store on Poeta Querol. But there are also moderately priced stores on this street, for example Intermón (the Intermón-Oxfam store) or Nespresso (if you like coffee you probably have heard of this company—the store looks expensive but the coffee is not!) This streets ends at Calle de la Paz, which also has some designer (Carolina Herrera) and jewelry stores.

Loewe storefront on a corner of Poeta Querol

Fine ceramic gifts made by Valencia's Lladró

In the old city, there is a hipper area where you can find plenty of restaurants and bars, and that comes alive at night. Barrio del Carmen is an excellent place to go out for dinner or drinks, but you can also do some cool shopping that you can’t find elsewhere. One of my favorite clothing boutiques is called Envinarte Fusión, on Calle Serranos. They also own a wine shop two doors down on the same street with an excellent variety of national and international wines. I like the clothing store Monki and, although not technically in El Carmen, but in El Mercat neighborhood, Bugalú is a fun place to score some cooler accessories and clothing items. But the list of places is definitely longer than this, and it’s worth walking around the narrow streets of this old neighborhood to discover them.

Plaza del Tossal, one of many quaint plazas in El Carmen
great for taking a break from boutique shopping

Inside Envinarte Fusión

Oh my, how I’ve gone on! And I haven’t even mentioned another neighborhood that has in the last few years really taken off: Russafa! I encourage you to explore it, because it deserves another whole post. Great restaurants, great bars, and some very special shopping too. 

Future pursuits... the Russafa neighborhood runs along the
east side of the North Train Station tracks

It’s been fun writing about my city, and I hope this mini shopping guide has been helpful!

—Chic Soufflé

That Perfect Gift: Spanish Footwear

So for this gift idea I had to go straight to the expert: my mother-in-law. She is an avid shoe-shopper, and shoes ("zapatos"; or as an industry, "calzado") are an important local industry in Spain. Put more succinctly, Spain is a shoe-making country. While Italy often gets all the attention internationally, I think Spain can match Italy for number of shoe manufacturers and quality brands. (Here I'm not speaking as an economist… I don't know the actual stats, but on a crude, utterly biased impression alone, I sure I'm right about this.) And, at least up until a few years ago, before the euro-dollar exchange rate shifted dramatically, quality shoes in Spain were seriously cheaper than in the States. (Spanish brands still are cheaper here.) 

So, while I confess I am not much of a shoe shopper, much less for women's shoes, even a shoe-style-challenged chap like me recognizes that shoes in Spain are excellent, stylish, comfortable, and affordable, a winning combination.

A quick scan of the website for the "Federación de Industrias del Calzado Español" (FICE) gives you a sense of the national presence of Spanish shoemakers. The major industrial areas for footwear production in Spain are the following: Elche, Elda, Villena, all in Alicante, and Vall d’Uixó in Castellón (Community of Valencia)… indeed, in 2010 the Comunidad Valenciana region was home to about 64% of all shoe manufacturers ("fabricantes")… followed by these other regions in descending order... Almansa and Fuensalida (Castile-La Mancha), Arnedo (La Rioja), Mallorca and Menorca (Balearic Islands); Illueca (Aragon) and Valverde del Camino (Andalusia). According to export stats from FICE, Spain predominantly exports to France and then other EU countries, though it also exports to the US and Japan.

• The brands:

A perusal of Spanish brands starts to give you an idea of the range of styles and high quality of shoes from Spain, but above all, of the incredible number of companies out there. Since this list is going to get pretty long, I'm keeping things succinct by annotating in parenthesis brand highlights (e.g. gender focus, locale of home base). You quickly see what I was saying about a serious concentration in Alicante, and also a strong showing on the Balearic Islands... both regions with a long history in shoe production.

Fashionist Carrie Bradshaw
wearing some "Manolos"

We can start with high fashion. Easily the most famous shoe designer to come out of Spain is Manolo Blahnik (women's). Carrie Bradshaw, in Sex in the City, made his shoes famous through her shopping obsession with them. This shoe designer was born on the Canary Islands (his mother is Spanish), but eventually moved away, and today the brand is based in the U.S. So once Spanish, but now more international. Still, it is probably not an accident that he came out of Spain. There are plenty of other established fashionable Spanish shoe brands.While they do not quite reach the same level of acclaim (or sticker shock), here is a list of some other higher-end shoe labels: Paco Gil (women's, Elda in Alicante), Brenda Zaro (women's), Bay shoes (men's, Mallorca), Pons Quintana (women's, Menorca), Carmen Poveda (women's, Alicante), Farrutx (Inca in Mallorca), Martinelli, Pedro Miralles (women's, Elche in Alicante)... and I'm sure I'm missing some others.

Something tells me I can't afford these Manolo pumps, but they sure are pretty.

At the mid range (i.e. where us mortals deign to shop) probably the most visible and recognized Spanish brand is Camper (from Mallorca). As is the case for many of these Spanish brands, Camper was the result of a younger generation shoemaker, Fluxá, from a long line of shoemakers, who decided to branch of from the family business and begin to build a national and then international brand. Another upscale shoe label, Lottusse (men's, Mallorca), is also from Fluxá family.

But Camper is just the tip of the iceberg, with many other Spanish brands who are starting to sport an "Hecho en España" (Made in Spain) label showing pride in the country's impressive industry. So here the list gets pretty long, though I (or really my mother-in-law) can vouch for most of these labels: Pikolinos, Panama Jack, Zinda (women's, Elche), Hispanitas (Petrer in Alicante), Pielsa (men's), Callaghan (part of the Grupo Hergar, in Arnedo, self-proclaimed "Ciudad del calzado"), Lodi (women's, Elda), Looky (women's, Menorca), Vulladi (home-wear and children's, Elche), Patricia Miller (women's)... And there are a few brands that I believe fit in here, but don't know from personal experience (again, i.e. from my mom-in-law): Magrit (women's, Elda), Amante (women's, Elda), Ángel Infantes (men's, Albacete in Castilla-La Mancha).

Then there are the slightly more affordable shoes priced in the mid to low range. In this group Wonders is the most recognizable. (I noticed the other day that the soles of my wife's Wonders shoes say: "Made with Love in Spain". Excellent!) But here there are also some newer, colorful brands, including 24 horas (Elche), Snipe (which makes natural, ecological shoes; based in Valencia!), La Cadena (Munilla in La Rioja), Valverde del Camino, Tejus (Alicante), Segarra (boots, Valle de Uxó in Castellón), Victoria (youth... in particular "bambas" or "zapatillas", Logroño)... and probably many more as well.

And this is _not_ an exhaustive comprehensive list of all the Spanish brands there are for shoes.

• The local styles: 

In addition to these many brands, there are a few styles of footwear that evolved from local Spanish shoe traditions.

Perhaps the most established and increasingly exported Spanish style of footwear are "menorquinas" sandals, or "abarca de Menorca". These simple, modest sandals are based on the humble, functional shoes that farmers and fieldworkers traditionally wore on the island. Today you can find them in all different colors and designs, from simple to incredibly elegant and expensive, but the base of their popularity is as a typical tourist purchase when you visit the islands. Though you'll notice that everyone, tourists and locals alike, wear them on the islands in the summer. When we visited Menorca this summer, we bought ourselves a pair of Ria menorquinas. Ria is probably the most famous of brands on the island. And remember how I said that Menorca is one of several major footwear producing regions? Well, there are hundreds of Minorcan shoe brands each with their own line of sandals in this niche market.

Another traditional Spanish shoe, "espardenyas" (which comes from the catalán word, "esparto," a kind of textile made of grass) is from the Catalán region. This local style comes from the very old style of shoes, "alpargatas", woven sandals, the origins of which probably go back to the ancient Egyptians, but whose introduction to Europe can be traced back to the medieval period in Spain and France. (Though similar shoes are also found in the Americas during the same period). For this style of shoe, one of the better known manufacturers is Castañer—yes, another not-yet-mentioned Spanish brand!—who specialize in more modern versions of this classic shoe.

• The Shops (in Valencia):

So given all these great brands and local styles it goes without saying that Spain is a great place to go shoe-shopping. But where to do it? Here I'm afraid I'm limited by my local(ized) knowledge, or more accurately that of my wife and mother-in-law. I can only recommend specific shoe shops ("zapaterías") in Valencia, but these three are tops: Zapa [C/ Don Juan de Austria 34, 46002 Valencia; t: 96 394 17 83], Aviñó [Paseo Ruzafa, 4, 46002 Valencia], and Yacaré [has three locations, but we normally shop at: C/ Colón 42, 46004 Valencia, t: 96 351 06 20].

But there are hundreds of local shoe shops in every major Spanish city. I'm sure if you go to any major shopping area you'll find some good ones, and then you just have to keep your eyes out for these tried and tested brands.

Again, I'm really not a shoe person. But after living here for many years, and more so after having investigated this story, even I have come to acknowledge that these Spanish shoe producers have elevated a craft to the level of an art. And they have done so with a certain practicality and modesty or lack of pretension that deserves some recognition. They are at the forefront of a culture of style and creative imaging, which embraces tradition (without clinging to it) rather than losing touch with it. So you really can't go wrong shoe shopping in Spain.

...

Finally, an observation on at least one noteworthy cross-cultural footwear difference between the States and Spain. If you're living in Spain, and especially if you're living with Spaniards, you'll want to get some footwear to wear around the house. I've discovered that most (if not all) Spaniards feel a really strong impetus to _never go barefoot at home_. While it is not overtly due to any concern with cleanliness—floors could be clean enough to eat off as far as they could care—I would say that Spaniards find the idea of somebody walking around the home without sandals (sandalias) or flip flops (chanclas) to be unhygienic and therefore a bit repulsive. (Note: wearing socks is not sufficient; it needs to be something that qualifies as footwear.) So I suppose they land on the opposite end of the spectrum from Americans, many of whom habitually go around their homes barefoot, and certainly Buddhists and some Asians who would ask you to remove your footwear before entering the house. So pack a pair of slippers or flip-flops when you visit them. (Or better yet, go shoe shopping once you get here! Menorquinas, anyone?)