The Beret Issue
A brief history of the beret: from Bronze Age to French Cliché
This might sound embarrassing to the French subscribers of this newsletter, but I prefer to tell you I’m a big beret fan, maybe not on the Blaire Waldorf or Emily in Paris way but I do try to wear them on my way from time to time. Yesterday, I saw a very sophisticated lady fashioning a beret and I thought “this is a sign”, because I’ve been sensing a wool hat comeback in various forms, but I will concentrate on the beret especially because it picked in searches the last 10 days and if that’s not a sign then what is it. Your girl has an instinct.
Beret is traced back to Italy and Denmark since the Bronze Age (3300BC - 1200BC) according to archaeologists, who found signs of beret usage from Bronze Age tombs. Following that period we have traces of similar type of hats usage in various different periods of time throughout the history of humanity like Minoan times, Ancient Greece, Renaissance etc. Even though beret is not what we would call today the item we see in these historical checkpoints, we can still argue that it was the closest to a beret as we know it and they all had in common the felt, which is a matted fabric that consists of textile fibres condensed and pressed together, exactly like with a beret.
The first famous person seen fashioning a Beret was Rembrandt (1606-1669) and probably as an influencer of his time he inspired many artists after him wearing a beret. However, the first trace of the beret as we know it today aka the Basque-beret was a very traditional headpiece for the shepherds of the valleys of the Pyrenees in Spain, the mountain range that divides the North of Spain and the South of France. The geography here plays an important role on the item’s evolution, because even though the Basque-beret is originally created in Spanish territory, the commercial production started in the French-basque region in Southern France in the 17th century in the Oloron-Saint-Marie area and the industrialisation of the beret is on the 19th century by the Beatex-Laulhere factory that claims production records dating back to 1810! Just a century later the beret is associated with the working class of France and Spain and we see more than 20 factories in both countries producing millions of berets per year.
During the 1920s the beret was already a fashion sensation, from sportsmen like the French-Basque tennis player Jean Borotra to “Pour Le Sport” women which was the style of clothes that were developed for physical activity.
The early 20th century was the moment that transformed the Basque-beret to a French cliché. With Paris as the epicentre of art, fashion, and intellectual thought, the beret became popular among artists, writers, and activists, from Picasso to Hemingway, all of whom were enamored with its bohemian vibe. For artists, it was practical (hands-free, easy to wear indoors or out), but more importantly, it symbolized a defiant, creative spirit that was free from the constraints of more formal headwear. This made it an appealing choice for anyone wanting to embody a nonconformist attitude.
During the same period, the beret gained political symbolism as well. In the 1920s and 1930s, it was worn by leftist intellectuals, workers, and socialists, especially in France, as a symbol of solidarity with the working class. Later, it took on military associations, being adopted by the French military, notably by the Chasseurs Alpins (a unit specialized in mountain combat), and, of course, becoming part of the iconic look of revolutionaries like Che Guevara.
As the 20th century wore on, Hollywood embraced this Parisian look and amplified it globally. The classic image of a Parisian with a beret, striped shirt, and a baguette became an exaggerated—but endearing—stereotype. By the mid-century, it was also a fixture in French New Wave cinema, which further spread its image of a carefree, intellectual “Frenchness” that charmed viewers worldwide.
The 21st century sees the beret as both a fashionable accessory and one of the most famous French culture clichés. Pop culture has styled the beret in various different forms with the most recently one being Emily in Paris. Brands like Miu Miu have reclaimed it, turning it into a versatile accessory for everything from high fashion to streetwear. The beret endures because it’s adaptable: it fits into the Parisian ideal of mixing high and low fashion, and it’s instantly recognizable. While it’s a bit of a Parisian cliché, it’s also a style icon in its own right, able to make the transition from function to symbol and back again effortlessly.
I’ve always been a fan of the beret but on my last year’s trip in Japan I became low-key obsessed. I don’t think I have ever seen people fashioning beret in a cooler way, but it could also be that the Japanese are doing everything cooler than us.
If you are looking for a reason to buy a beret I think I have given you a lot. Now, if you are looking for a nice beret you can try one of those: this Marine Serre one, this Free People one, this Ganni one, the Toteme one, the & Other Stories classic version and of course the Miu Miu version of the intellectual girl.