A proper béret starts life as an oversized knitted disc, sometimes a metre across, that is felted in hot water until the wool shrinks, thickens, and locks into a dense, weatherproof cloth. Only then is it blocked into shape, shorn of fuzz, and finished with a small stem in the centre called the cabillou. What looks like a single seamless piece of felt is really one continuous loop of knitting that has been deliberately shrunk into permanence. This is Guide № 003 in The Love France Guide series.
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The Béret — in a beautifully designed, printable booklet. The Love France Guide № 003.
A Shepherd’s Hat, Not a Painter’s Prop
The béret we recognise today comes from the pastoral country of the Pyrenees, worn for centuries by shepherds in Béarn and the Basque provinces long before it became a national shorthand. Its virtues were practical: felted wool sheds rain, holds warmth, packs flat into a pocket, and springs back into shape. The image of the béret as an artist’s or intellectual’s accessory came much later, layered on by painters, poets, and photographers in Paris and beyond.
The word itself descends through Occitan and Gascon berret from the Late Latin birrus, meaning a hooded cloak or cape. So the name reaches back to Roman-era wool garments, even if the round, flat form we know took its familiar shape in the mountains of southwestern France.
How One Is Actually Made
Traditional manufacture begins by knitting the cap far larger than its finished size. It is then fulled — agitated in hot water so the wool fibres mat together — which can shrink the piece by roughly half and creates the tight, seamless felt that no longer frays when cut. After shaping over a wooden or metal form, the surface is brushed and sheared to an even nap, and a leather or grosgrain band is sewn inside the edge.
The town of Nay in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques is closely tied to this craft, and it is home to a béret museum that walks through the full process. France’s béret industry contracted sharply over the twentieth century, and today only a small number of manufacturers remain. Laulhère, founded in the nineteenth century and still based in the region, is generally described as the last large-scale historic maker producing in France.
Béret Basque, Béret Béarnais
The name “béret basque” is something of a marketing accident. Much of the historic production and trade grew up in Béarn, a neighbouring but distinct region, yet the hat gained international fame under the Basque label — partly because Basque markets and emigrants carried it widely. Locals will happily point out that the “Basque” béret has deep Béarnais roots, and both regions claim it with affection.
A Uniform as Much as a Style
The béret’s most enduring official life is military. It is compact, tuckable, and easy to standardise, which made it ideal for troops. French Alpine light infantry, the Chasseurs Alpins, adopted a large dark béret in the late nineteenth century and are often credited with popularising it as a military headdress. Through the twentieth century the béret spread to armies worldwide, with colours signalling units — a system still used today across many nations.
Which way you tilt it carries meaning too. Military wear typically pulls the béret to one side, with the badge over one eye, while civilian wearers often centre it or push it back. There is no single correct angle for everyday use — it is shaped, quite literally, to the head of the person wearing it.
Wearing One Without Looking in Costume
A béret is meant to sit snugly around the crown, not perched on top like a cap. The felt is dampened, stretched slightly, and moulded so the band grips just above the ears, with the excess cloth draped to one side or the back. Sizes are measured by the head circumference of the band rather than by the diameter of the disc, so a larger, floppier crown does not necessarily mean a bigger fit. Genuine wool versions are warm, water-resistant, and durable enough to last many years with basic care.
Myths Worth Retiring
Myth: the béret is a Parisian invention. It is a rural, mountain-born object from the Pyrenees, tied to shepherds and to the regions of Béarn and the Basque Country. Its Parisian, bohemian reputation is a later cultural overlay.
Myth: everyone in France wears one. The béret is not everyday dress for most French people and hasn’t been for generations. It endures as regional heritage, as military kit, and as a deliberate style choice — not as a national uniform.
Myth: a béret is just a stitched-together circle of fabric. A traditional one is knitted in a single piece and felted into shape, which is why the edge can be cut without fraying and why the whole cap holds together without seams.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can we see how bérets are made?
The town of Nay, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, has a dedicated béret museum that covers the history and the felting-to-finishing process. The wider Béarn and Basque areas of southwestern France are the traditional heartland of the craft.
Are French-made bérets still produced?
Yes, though far fewer makers remain than a century ago. Laulhère, based in the Pyrenees region, is commonly cited as the last major historic manufacturer still producing bérets in France, alongside a handful of smaller workshops.
What is the little nub in the centre?
That short stem is called the cabillou. It is a remnant of the knitting and finishing process and has become a recognisable mark of a traditionally made béret.
More The Love France Guides
The Love France Guide is a numbered series — one tightly focused subject at a time, each with its own downloadable collectible edition. Guide № 001 is The Croissant, Guide № 002 is Bastille Day, This is Guide № 003. More editions are on the way.
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