The One-of-a-Kind Beret Brand 'Laulhère' Loved Beyond History

The beret is an item that has been widely loved by both men and women, casual and fashionable, for many years. When tracing its roots, you arrive at a brand called 'Laulhère', the only existing beret brand in the Basque region［1］ of France. We talked with Reiko Kimura, Creative/PR Manager at Benexy Corporation about Laulhère.

"Berets from Laulhère have been manufactured since 1840. The brand is the oldest existing beret brand, dating back to the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan.

"The founder was a man named Pierre Laulhère, who was a wool merchant. He established 'Maison Laulhère' in 1792 and initially made wool stockings. His son, Lucien Laulhère, took over the business and started making berets based on the expertise he inherited from his spouse's family, the Tournaben family.

"They have their own factory in a beautiful location in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, at the foot of the Pyrenees mountain range. They still make 80-90% of the process by hand, and since all the materials are sourced from France, they are maintaining full made-in-France production."