Headgear of choice
The Basque beret has evolved fromm peasant cap to ‘ emblem of France’ ’.
THE beret has come a long way since its humble beginnings as the headgear of choice for pelota players in the Basque country, becoming a must- have accessory as far afield as China.
The jaunty topper preferred by Che Guevara and Pablo Picasso added a saucy touch to Monica Lewinsky's look in a famous photo of her getting a hug from then president Bill Clinton at a 1996 White House event.
In Oloron-Sainte- Marie, France's “Basque Beret Capital”, one company, the House of Laulhere, lays claim to being the oldest producer of the flat cap, turning them out for nearly 200 years.
The beret will never go out of fashion, says commercial director Mark Saunders.
“The image of the Frenchman with a baguette under the arm and a beret on his head is obsolete only in the minds of the French,” says the 47- year- old Irishman.
“Overseas, the beret is the emblem of France, synonymous with luxury and fashion,” he says, noting that Monaco's Princess Charlene donned a Laulhere beret for her first public appearance after the birth of her twin girls two years ago.
Laulhere is now one of the last firms to produce berets that are 100% made in France. “Just 30 years ago in this region there were 22 beret factories,” Saunders says in fluent French tinged with an Irish brogue.
A few new manufacturers have sprung up recently in nearby Bearn, including some that simply put the finishing touches on berets that they buy wholesale, he notes. “We are not the last French maker but the last historic maker of the French beret,” Saunders says with a twinkle in his eye.
Laulhere has a counterpart in the Spanish Basque country just over the border, Boinas Elosegui, in the town of Tolosa in the shadow of the Pyrenees.
Founded in 1858, it is the only Spanish company to make fine quality Basque beret ts. Like Laulhere, at Boinas E Elosegui almost the entire process fr om weave to finish is carried out b by hand using pure virgin merino w wool.
Laulhere's unique e know- how earned the company y the coveted national distinctions s of Living Heritage Enterprise and Guaranteed Origin F France in 2012. “One of the secrets is s the felting, in which the berets area washed for between five and d seven hours with water fro om the river Gave,” Saunder rs said. “The minerals in thee Gave water give the Laulh here berets their feel, whi ich you cannot achieve with tap water.”
The firm was on th he edge of bankruptcy in 201 12 when it was bought by the Cargo holding compa any grouping around 15 small businesses in southwestern France e.
Now, with a staff ofo 45 producing 200,00 0 berets per year and a turnover of US$ 3.2m mil ( RM12.92mil) in 2015 5, the company has three m main markets.
The traditional “H Heritage” beret makes up 35% of its output; another 30% goes to milita ary clients in France and around t the world, with the rest going to hau ute- couture thanks to the fashionn trend set by designers such as Do olce and Gabbana, John Gallia ano, Louis Vuitton and Ralph L auren. It is also the official s supplier of France's rugby team m.
Nearly a third of it ts production is for export, with cli ients in around 20 countries includin ng Japan, China and the United State es. The process involves s 10 main stages using purpose- bui ilt “top- secret” equipment.
The knitting is now w mechanised, but all the other stag ges are performed by hand – in ncluding felting, dying, shaping, shav ving, finishing and garnishing. – AF FP Relaxnews