How to make a REAL French beret
It takes two full days to make a traditional, authentic beret, sometimes longer, each item being a unique piece with its own adjustments and checks. Traditionally using pure Merino virgin wool, the dying process requires a mixture of various pigments, and demands great care to make sure the dye ‘takes’ evenly across the whole of the wool. Every beret is checked over and over to make sure the colour is perfectly deep and bright, making it a unique and noble product.
But let’s jump back to our cliché French man: what you can’t see is that the label on most berets came perilously close to reading ‘Made in China’. The French-crafted beret very nearly disappeared altogether somewhat unceremoniously. Was it not for an enterprising local business leader in Gascony, who rescued the notable beret-making company Laulhère the great French beret would be no more...
Laulhère is the last remaining historic beret-maker in France, based in Oloron-Ste-Marie in the Pyrénées. It was created in 1840 by the Laulhère family; the company has in recent years been struggling from an on-going textile industry crisis as well as from low-price, low-quality products from international competitors. These factors sadly led to the decision to finally close its doors two years ago and that may well have been the death-knell for the French beret as we know and love it.
However, a rescue effort was mounted by a Gascon based company called Cargo Group and its sister company Blancq-Olibet and thanks to them our beloved berets will continue to be “Made in France”.
Made in France by Laulhère