Footwear in Konavle

Opanci (traditional leather footwear) are the oldest known form of footwear of Konavle peasants. In times of domestic footwear production, they were predominant over of the entire Balkan area. The opanci consist of soles made of rawhide (rubber in the 20th century) with interlaced leather straps on the upper part, in combination with canvas. Opanci can be found in a wide geographical area, distinguished by manufacturing methods and shapes. And Konavle had its own recognizable forms of opanci.

Opanci were produced in every house, and were worn by men, women and children. They were made on the same mold for both the right and left foot. Various sizes of molds were used for creating and repairing. When opanci were being worn, everyone had footwear.

The longest-lived and oldest known form of opanci is opanci oputaši. They are made of rawhide soles that are joined at the front in the so-called beak (upturned toe). The beak in the Konavle opanci was not pronounced, which distinguished them from opanci of the hinterland.

Opanci oputaši 

Holes were made along the edges of the soles of opanci, through which oputa, cords made of a cowhide or less often of pigskin or intestines, were passed. Oputa is a cord made of thinly cut leather twisted around itself. In this way, the upper part of the shoe was braided over a wooden mold, adding the braiding to the sole.

Opanci oputaši were always worn over woolen obojci (socks or foot slippers), of which they were an integral part. This separated the foot from the leather sole. The type and style of the socks depended on the season and the weather.

In the summer months, especially in the southern part of Konavle, opanci telaši were worn. These had canvas instead of straps and leather buckles on the upper part. If there was no buckle, they were called pepice and were mostly worn by women. When opanci got wet or fell apart, they were brought back to the wooden mold where they were strengthened with straps called oprečonice.

Opanci telaši 

With the advent of automobile and airplane tires, a new material was available for the production of footwear. Soles would be cut from old, discarded tires, holes punched in them, and tied to the upper part with cords. Leather for soles was not used as much because rubber proved to be better for farm work, and it didn't disintegrate in the rain. These types were called opanci gomaši, and the leather parts were in black and red.

Opanci gomaši

The people of Konavle performed household and agricultural work in these various types of opanci, so this was considered footwear for work. However, for going to church or to the city, one needed better footwear that was used only for formal occasions. Konavlians would go to church or town wearing their work opanci, but would carry newer opanci in their shoulder bags. At the entrances to the towns were stone walls with openings in them that were used for, among other things, storing the old opanci until returning home. The nicer opanci were called prezuvače.

Up until World War II,  wereprezuvače usually red or black slippers, and served as finer footwear for more formal occasions. In all studio photos from the 19th century, the people of Konavle were wearing this type of footwear. Around 1920, right and left slippers began to be made separately, and a leather buckle was added to children’s slippers. Everyone wore red slippers, except people who were in mourning who wore black. They were exclusively a professional shoemaker’s product that could not be made at home. For the Konavle community at that time, they were a demonstration of the ability to purchase in cash. P. B. Bijelić wrote that, as early as the end of the 19th century, these slippers were one of the groom’s gifts for the women of the household at the engagement.

Prezuvače

Due to European fashion trends after the World War I, women’s slippers got a heel, and adaptations to new footwear trends slowly erased the border between rural and urban footwear. Some of these differences remained, depending on the occasion for which they were worn. But almost all of them were purchased from cobblers or local stores. During the 2nd half of the 19th century, cobblers also made štivalete, half-boots that only the wealthiest Konavle residents could afford.

After World War II, almost every village had someone who worked as a cobbler to repair footwear and make opanci gomaši and other shoes. The last such cobbler, Mr. Niko Kuliš from Dubravka, left us recently. Until his death, he was making opanci and pepice for those who needed shoes for Konavle folk costumes.