Away #5

 

Away #4

 

Away #3

 

Away #2

 

Away #1

 

Last Post

The Last Post for the time being - South Pacific Berets is off to the other side of the planet, visiting beret manufacturers, following leads on beret related matters, doing some beret photography in the wild and in between enjoying some holidays.  

Meanwhile, some orders will ship within the usual 24 hours, but others will have to wait till my return on 19 October. Given low stock numbers of certain beret models, good to order when ready and secure your choice of beret. 

In short: all orders placed from 25 September through 19 October may face a delay in delivery of maximum 3 weeks.

The Beret Project too takes a break - no written posts, but a daily relevant picture.

See you all on the 19th of October!

Juliane Gorman (of Felt Happiness)

Juliane Gorman (of Felt Happiness) first felted long ago as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. Later, she took millinery classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology (NY) and freelanced in costume shops.

 The enchantment of creating went into dormancy while she pursued other day-jobs and parenthood, but nowadays, energized by the natural world, fairy tales and fine art, she creates wearable art hats that are useful, comfortable and flattering.

 Juliane says “my FeltHappiness Hats will energize YOU, and help you better enjoy your Winter, Spring or Fall. Winter (and Life) need not be gray. Let's Live Colorfully!”

Willard John Pottinger's Beret in Horizon Blue

The photo of this 'horizon blue' beret, I came across in an article in the Toronto Star.  It was the beret of Willard John Pottinger who served as a private in the 5th Canadian Mounted Regiment during World War 1.

This beret is interesting for two reasons: the model is a typical Russian/East European beret, similar to those still made in Warsaw today, consisting of various pieces of woven wool cloth sewn together.

The second reason is it's colour, in 'horizon blue', the soft blue colour that was the standard for uniforms in the French military at the time.

I have not come across any similar (Canadian) beret...

Chung Eui-chae

This undated file photo shows Monsignor Chung Eui-chae, defined as "the intellectual of Korean Catholicism." 

Chung died of old age in Seoul at the age of 98 on Dec. 27, 2023, the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul said.

André Béhotéguy

André Béhotéguy (1900 –1960) was a French rugby union player from Bayonne (Basque Country) who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics.

In 1924 he won the silver medal as member of the French team. He also competed in rowing, possibly winning a French title.

His “regular career” was building large corkscrews although in later years he ran a flower shop in Nice.

Daniel W. Fletcher

Daniel W. Fletcher (1990) is a London-based fashion designer who operates his own namesake brand, Daniel w. Fletcher.

Originally from the Northwest of England, Fletcher first took an interest in menswear when he enrolled in an art foundation course at Kingston University. He then moved to London to study at Central Saint Martins, where he took a four-year BA degree in fashion design.

After graduation, Fletcher launched his urban menswear brand, Daniel w. Fletcher. Before starting his label, he gained experience from a handful of internships at James Long in London and Lanvin and Louis Vuitton in Paris.

Throughout his final year at university, Fletcher also worked at Victoria Beckham, which helped him finance and execute his label as well as through brand sponsorships from Saga Furs and Inditex.

Daniel Bell

Daniel Bell (1919 –2011) was an American sociologist, writer, editor, and professor at Harvard University, best known for his contributions to the study of post-industrialism.

He has been described as "one of the leading American intellectuals of the postwar era". His three best known works are The End of Ideology, The Coming of Post-Industrial Society, and The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism.

Daniel Bell and Nathan Glazer

Bell began his professional life as a journalist, being managing editor of The New Leader magazine (1941–1945), labor editor of Fortune (1948–1958), and later, co-editor (with his college friend Irving Kristol) of The Public Interest magazine (1965–1973).

Bell once described himself as a "socialist in economics, a liberal in politics, and a conservative in culture."

Daniel Bekken

Daniel Bekken studied at KMD and Glasgow School of Art

“An awesome part of my work, is the opportunity to mix disciplines and collaborate with other creative minds. I also consider it an important part of my job to challenge my clients and allow for divergent ideas to happen. “

“I love listening, developing a dialogue that inspires both parties and together creating something none of us would have thought of by ourselves. To me, that is true value.”

Leo Casement

Leo Casement started painting at an early age and excelled at art during his school days, even selling paintings while he was still at school! After leaving school he went to Dublin to paint portraits and street scenes as a living. He then moved to London and continued to paint but had to take part time jobs in gardening and engineering to help finance his stay, but his first love was always art.

He then moved to France and after a period returned home to Ireland. He had his first exhibition in Northern Ireland in 1977 in Down Patrick which was very successful with commissions to follow but felt he wasn’t finished traveling and left again for France, traveling through Normandy, and continuing to paint. He tried a spell in Paris but found the chaotic lifestyle too much and returned to the countryside where he could concentrate on his work with little distraction.

Manus McConn and Leo Casement in studio 2010

He travelled through Europe and ended up in Spain moving from town to town, meeting fellow artists, sculptors and writers, and then eventually settling in Marbella for a period of time.

Returning to Northern Ireland in the early 90′s he had built himself a reputation and was in constant demand for commissions and had several successful exhibitions leading to numerous prizes in art competitions for his horse paintings.

Daniel Pinkwater

Daniel Manus Pinkwater (1941) is an American author of children's books and young adult fiction.

His books include Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death, Fat Men from Space, Borgel, and the picture book The Big Orange Splot. He has also written an adult novel, The Afterlife Diet, and essay collections derived from his talks on National Public Radio.

Following an appearance by Pinkwater on the Public Radio International program This American Life, his book Devil in the Drain ended up on challenged book lists at numerous children's libraries.

Many elements of his fiction are based on real events and people he encountered in his youth.

Alex Jonas

Alex Jonas is a Paris-based portrait photographer.

My love for moving images and photography came quite early. I was always playing with my father’s camera when I was a kid, not really understanding that I could make a living out of it. Then in my 20’s, I lived in Spain for a couple of years during an Erasmus program and that’s when it really started.

Getting in the industry and making a living out of it is hard, but it’s even harder to stay in the industry. There is a lot of competition and talent out there.

The most rewarding part is when other people admire your work or use it as an inspiration.

K.I.Z.

K.I.Z is a German hip hop group from Berlin consisting of the rappers Tarek, Nico and Maxim. Until 2018, DJ Craft was also part of the group. Their lyrics often contain a lot of dark humor and irony as well as sociocritical content.

Characteristic for the group are sexist, provocative lyrics containing black humour, irony, sarcasm and cynicism. They also like to parody other rappers, people or the hip-hop genre itself, as heard on the song "Die kleinen Dinge im Leben" feat. Sido ("The Small Things in Life") where they have a competition of who has the smallest penis. K.I.Z satirically criticize society, politics and phenomena such as airs and graces, or life in the precariat.

In February 2010 K.I.Z uploaded a YouTube video in which they called people to participate in the anti-fascist protest Dresden Nazifrei (Nazi-free Dresden). On 8 March 2011, it was announced that Maxim and Nico would run in the 2011 Berlin state election as leading candidates for Die Partei in the Berlin borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.

In September 2018 K.I.Z participated in a concert with other artists and bands in the German city of Chemnitz to make a statement against far-right protests and anti-immigrant violence. The show was attended by 65,000 people.

The Sixth Labor Battalion (VI Prapor) at a Slovak Labor Camp

The National Defense Law 20/1940 exempted Jews from military service in the new Slovak state but required them instead to do manual labour at military work camps.

Group portrait of Jewish members of the Sixth Labor Battalion (VI Prapor) 

Such Jews, who were called "Robotnik Zid" [work Jews], wore distinctive blue uniforms and berets. They were assigned to the Sixth Labor Battalion which consisted of five companies, three of which were exclusively made up of Jews. New Jewish recruits were assembled in Cemerne (Vranov district) in eastern Slovakia, where they underwent basic military training using shovels instead of rifles. After their training the Jewish labor companies were assigned to forced labor in various parts of the country.

Two Jewish members of the Sixth Labor Battalion (VI Prapor) dig out the foundation of a barracks at a Slovak labor camp.

In the spring of 1942, most of the Jewish labor units were concentrated at three labor camps in the Bratislava district in western Slovakia: Sv. Jur, Lab and Zohor, where they were put to work on drainage projects. 

Prisoners holding pick axes and other tools, work along a roadside at a Slovak labor camp

When the mass deportation of Slovak Jewry began in the spring of 1942 the position of the "work Jews" improved vis a vis the civilian Jewish population. The Jewish labor companies fell under the authority of the Ministry of Defense which was often in conflict with the Ministry for Internal Affairs that was responsible for the deportation actions. As a result, the Defense Ministry sometimes refused to comply with requests from Internal Affairs to discharge "work Jews" from the military labor service.

Group portrait of Jewish members of the Sixth Labor, Slovakia 1940

On May 31, 1943, the military labor camps for Jews were formally disbanded and the remaining "work Jews" were moved to civilian concentration camps or centers.

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lynn Affleck (née Lopez; 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American actress, singer and dancer.

Often dubbed the "Queen of Dance", Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking barriers for Latino Americans in Hollywood and helping propel the Latin pop movement in music. She is also noted for her impact on popular culture through fashion, branding, and shifting mainstream beauty standards.

Following the September 11 attacks, Lopez was heavily involved in charitable activities. Joining other artists, she was featured on charitable singles such as "What's Going On" and "El Ultimo Adios (The Last Goodbye)", which benefited people affected by the tragedy.

A supporter of the Democratic Party, Lopez has a long history of backing Democratic candidates for public office.

Ben Affleck

Benjamin Géza Affleck (1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of many accolades including two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes.

Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educational series The Voyage of the Mimi (1984, 1988).

Ben Affleck wears beret on honeymoon with Jennifer Lopez

Affleck gained wider recognition when he and Matt Damon won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for writing Good Will Hunting (1997), which they also starred in.

Affleck is the co-founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative, a grantmaking and advocacy-based nonprofit organization. He is a supporter of the Democratic Party.

Heads Up on Order Delivery Times

From 26 September through 19 October, South Pacific Berets is away from it's base in Aotearoa. 

Part holiday, part beret fact finding mission and part visiting some of the beret manufacturers in France and Spain, timely delivery of beret purchases may suffer.

During my absence, some orders will be fulfilled within the usual 24 hours; however, it may be on 20 October that your beret ships.

All orders placed before 26 September (NZT) will be shipped within hours!

Thank you all for your understanding.