New: Basco Grande Piatto

Basco Grande Piatto

These "Grande Piatto" are Italy's answer to the French Tarte, the Basque Txapeldun and the Argentinean Plato Grande. 

Large (320mm/12.6") diameter berets in pure new wool. Extremely soft and comfortable. As a try-out, presently available in a very limited stock at $ 40.00 only. 

Have a look in the 'One-Off's' section.

Alan Brough

Alan Brough (b. Hawera, New Zealand 1967) is a New Zealand-born actor and comedian based in Australia.

Brough worked as an actor in Wellington and Auckland, mainly in live theatre. He also appeared in a series of butter commercials as a drag queen called Marge. In 1993, Brough appeared in the New Zealand sitcom Melody Rules (best described as "cringeworthy").

In 2012, Brough began performing the role of Baron Bomburst in the Australian production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (musical).

Javi Cabrero, by 'Gol'

Javi Cabrero is a Spanish comic book character from Vitoria (Extremadura), permanently wearing a black vest and Basque beret. 

Javi Cabrero's stories are set in La Vera North of Cáceres. Because of the financial crisis and economic hardship, Cabrero has become unemployed, after his father had to sell the goats.

Author of Javi Cabrero is Miguel Gómez Andrea, or under his nom de guerre "Gol", comic-book writer and illustrator, actor and playwright.

His career is split between comics and theater, with a common denominator, historical disclosure.

Gol has over forty titles published by independent publishers and institutions.

Austin J40, 1953

Driver of a 1953 Austin J40, with beret.

Redmond O'Hanlon

Redmond O'Hanlon, FRGS, FRSL (born 5 June 1947) is a British writer and scholar.

O'Hanlon has become known for his journeys into some of the most remote jungles of the world, in Borneo, the Amazon basin and Congo. He has also written a harrowing account of a trip to the North Atlantic on a trawler.

Redmond O'Hanlon, Suzanne Uittenbogaard

Between September 2009 and May 2010, Redmond O'Hanlon was a guest and co-presenter on the programme Beagle: In Darwin's wake for both Canvas in Belgium and VPRO Television in the Netherlands. In the programme, the clipper Stad Amsterdam re-traced the route that Charles Darwin took aboard HMS Beagle (1831–36), a journey that played a seminal role in his thinking on evolution.

He attended the Science & Technology Summit at the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague on 18 November 2010. Fellow Beagle shipmate Sarah Darwin was another featured guest at this convention.

In November 2011 VPRO Television began broadcasting O'Hanlons helden (English: O'Hanlons heroes). In this eight-part series O'Hanlon introduces the viewer to his heroes of the nineteenth century.

New at South Pacific Berets

Cotton Plato Grandes without headband

Good news for those in the northern hemisphere: the new stock of cotton boinas Tolosa Tupida is in; a large variety of colours in both standard 31cm diameters and 35cm Plato Grandes. Great sun protectors and absolute bestsellers in Australia. 

Cotton boinas Tolosa Tupida 31cm

Also, a good number of these cotton berets with Moroccan leather headband in black, red and sun-washed blue cotton.

Plato Grande in Argentine merino wool, 32cm

And after a long wait, the Plato Grandes in light merino wool are also back, in sizes 58-61. Better still, at a reduced price!

Radiovka's and Ultra Basques

Further, the Czech made Radiovkas, Ultra Basques and Service Stars have been reduced in price.

Service Star

The Making of a DEER Beret

Asked for more information on the DEER Berets, Kongo-Shokai, the manufacturer, made this fantastic series of photographs: the whole manufacturing process of their berets.
Not only gives it a very detailed and intimate impression of how these berets are made, it also shows the artisan way how real hand made berets come into being. 
To me, it also explains the (relatively high) cost of these berets; so much manual work, handling, checking, procedures... 
I have said it before, there are not many berets that can compete with these DEER Berets on comfort, craftsmanship and eye for detail. 
Highly recommended!

Beret knitting machine

Closing (or 'linking') the beret

"Rough" beret with the closing thread (txortena) visible

The washing machine, where berets are shrunk in 70 - 80 minutes

Pre- and post-washing and drying

Dying the berets

The individual beret is, after being dunked in hot water, wrapped in a wet cloth before going through the fulling machine (4 times), to compress the fibers 

Fulling in progress

Beret after fulling

Preparing the beret for brushing and shearing

Brushing of the beret

Shearing the beret

Before and after shearing

Blocking the beret, pre-steaming

Beret blocks in the steamer

A string is attached pre-steaming to get the right size

The beret post-steaming

Headband fitted, the final product.

Many thanks to Yumiko for her fantastic help!

Sylvia Kristel

Sylvia Maria Kristel (1952 – 2012) was a Dutch actress who performed in over 50 films, and was best known for playing the lead character in four of the seven Emmanuelle films.

Kristel began modeling when she was 17. She entered the Miss TV Europe contest in 1973 and won (and apart from the title, won a Mercedes Benz 350SL). Multilingual, she spoke Dutch, English, French, German and Italian. Kristel gained international attention in 1974 for playing the title character in the softcore film Emmanuelle, which remains one of the most successful French films ever produced.

Les Bérets Laulhère

It is by far the biggest news in the world of berets for decades: the completely new line of berets by French manufacturer Laulhère! But more than that, the way the manufacturer comes back from numerous years of struggling, is also a bit of a revolution in this traditional and predominantly conservative industry. 
What used to be BEATEX-Laulhère is now simply 'Laulhère', the original brand name since 1840 and the new Laulhère collection is truly innovative and daring. 

The most significant news comes from the range of Bayadère berets, berets inspired by the interbellum's roaring twenties, or "années folles" ("crazy years"); Parisian jazz clubs and a hunger in people to express themselves, shed off the old conformative shells of society. 

The term bayadère has two meanings: "dancer", from the Portuguese "bailadeira", and "fabric in striped, bright colours". The Bayadère berets come in a variety of these multi-coloured linings, similar to those berets of the era that are now showcased in museums. 

But, there is more. In line with the motto of The Beret Project (PEAKED CAP: FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T DARE TO WEAR A BERET), Laulhère came up with a hat that sits somewhere between a peaked beret and a Basque beret, the Casquette - in both a standard and Bayadère  edition.

The complete line of Laulhère berets will hit the market in September this year, but from mid-May already available through South Pacific Berets!

South Pacific Berets will stock the Bayadères in a variety of diameters, both in black and navy, the Casquettes in various colours and the traditional Basque berets 'Basque Authentique".

Compulsory Berets for US Sheriffs

An iconic headgear will disappear from many US towns and rural areas over the next 12 months, with Congress having passed the bill on the ban of the traditional sheriff's hat by 31 March, 2014. 

Although many US citizens see the large brimmed western hat as an important piece of tradition for US sheriffs, the impracticality of the Stetson has to give way to the much more sensible beret as a headgear. Some exceptions are made for counties that prefer the peaked flat cap (in my opinion a just-as-unpractical hat...), but trials in four states showed an (unexpected) overwhelming enthusiasm for the new piece of uniform.

As Sheriff Wayne D. O'moor of the Conzales County Sheriff Office puts it: "we ain't no ridin' no horses no more and with vehicles gettin' smaller and smaller, the darn things are just too hard to keep a wearin'".

In 12.5", the berets offer good protection from sun and weather, while not obstructing sight in emergency situations. Individual sheriff counties are allowed to continue using their specific sheriff's badges on the new headgear. 

The trial berets are Spanish made, but with an expected demand of 14,400 berets annually, Spanish manufacturer Boinas Elosegui set up a factory on the outskirts of San Antonio, TX and production is now in full swing. 
Chief Logistics Jason Ester of the Washington Association of Sheriff's and Police Chiefs says "if it's good enough for the French, it must be good enough for us".