One of the oldest hat shops continuously in operation since
its beginnings is Sombrerería Gorostiaga in Bilbao. It was the year 1854 when
the merchant Fructuoso Gorostiaga opened his shop in the calle Bidebarrieta.
Years later he would move to Calle del Victor and has been there ever since,
making custom hats and txapelas.
These days, the great-grandsons of the then master hat-maker
are still behind the counter of the millinery.
Throughout all these years, Sombrerería Gorostiaga has
witnessed the numerous social changes that have occurred and that have
influenced the way of dressing.
The golden age of business and hat miller activity was in
the first decades of the twentieth century, when hats were much more than an accessory
and a marked symbol of elegance. The 50s would be a great change and the type
of hat became an element of differentiation of the social classes.
Emilio Pirla is now the fourth generation of the family that
runs the establishment. Its activity is dedicated to the preparation and sale
of custom hats, often reproductions of period pieces, headdresses and txapelas.
Emilio Pirla is a specialist in the field and the last of
the hatters remaining in the north of Spain. He does not let go of his hat or
txapela any day of the year, is an enthusiast of this garment and always likes
to explain everything in detail, but with him, the business will disappear.
Among the clientele of Gorostiaga Sombrerería are today’s
artists like Loquillo, Fito or Álex Angulo. Today the production focuses on a
very high percentage in txapelas and to a lesser extent reproductions of
vintage hats, , hats for ladies or hats that by circumstances are fashionable
at certain times, in the style of films or TV series.
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