Kazi Toure

The United Freedom Front (UFF) was a small American Marxist organization active in the 1970s and 1980s. It was originally called the Sam Melville/Jonathan Jackson Unit, and its members became known as the Ohio 7 when they were brought to trial. Between 1975 and 1984 the UFF carried out at least 20 bombings and nine bank robberies in the northeastern United States, targeting corporate buildings, courthouses, and military facilities. They are described as "undoubtedly the most successful of the leftist terrorists of the 1970s and 1980s."

The group's members were eventually apprehended and convicted of conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, and other charges.

As a member of the UFF, Kazi Toure was imprisoned for his role in 20 bombings combating Apartheid in South Africa and United States Imperialism in Central America. The UFF has been called “undoubtedly the most successful of the leftist guerrilla groups of the 1970s and ’80s” and struck powerful blows to South African Airways, Mobil, IBM, Union Carbide, & various courthouses and US Military targets.

Valentine

 Valentines

Juniper Oil

A beautiful film showing boinero Juan Baselga from Nogueruelas extracting juniper oil in the traditional way. 

Juniper extract has traditionally been used as a diuretic, anti-arthritis, anti-diabetes, antiseptic as well as for the treatment of gastrointestinal and autoimmune disorders.

Tommy Prince

In 2020, the Bank of Canada decided to put a new face on the five-dollar bill and invited recommendations for great Canadians worthy of consideration.

One suggestion is Sergeant Tommy Prince—an Indigenous Canadian who embodies duty, courage, bravery, and patriotism; a proud beret wearer too. 

Despite all that, Tommy Prince died homeless and unacknowledged in many ways. 

Tommy Prince wasn’t alone; over 15,000 Indigenous Canadians fought in World War Two and Korea for a country they couldn’t even vote in. They experienced racism from the federal government as Indigenous war veterans were denied many of the benefits other veterans received.A dark page in Canada's history.  

Cliff

Cliff "Frenchie" DeCamp is a long time beret wearer from Charlotte, NC. 

©Byron Baldwin

An amazing photographer, Cliff is a member of the Charlotte based Repeat Offenders photographers guild. 

The photo above (by Suman Dhallen) shows Cliff together with fellow photographer Alan (who met General Mac Arthur from a copper bath on the back of his tank while serving during WWII, but that's another story...).

Cliff is one of South Pacific Berets' oldest customers, since 2009!.

Nick (Kiwi Bloke)

Kiwi bloke and good friend Nick Armstrong is a serial beret wearer.

For some 14 years now the beret is his headgear of choice as he navigates his days, weeks and months across the seasons.

His favorites are his Chyldish Fear Naught in black; the Hispano Basque in Bleu de France and the wide brimmed cotton Tolosa Tupida for the beach in the summer. 

When on a multi-day tramp around Mount Taranaki with his daughter, it is the cotton Boina Castilla/Aotearoa. Light to carry. Soft and cool on the head. Great protection from the sun too!

And the same beret accompanies Nick when walking fluffy dog Elvis or to Butler’s Reef for a cold beer…. 

Basques

A collection of vintage (French) postcards, depicting typical Basques.

Andrei Doroshkevich

Andrei Georgievich Doroshkevich (1937) is a Russian (and former Soviet) theoretical astrophysicist and cosmologist, head of the laboratory on the physics of the early universe at the Lebedev Physical Institute.

He is best known for his work with Igor Novikov, which they published in 1964, providing a theoretical basis for the cosmic microwave background radiation and pointing out that this radiation should be experimentally measurable. The signal of this radiation had been discovered experimentally by T. A. Shmaonov in 1957, but his work had been forgotten even in the Soviet Union by the time of Doroshkevich and Novikov's work. Their own work, also, remained unknown in the west until after the Nobel prize winning rediscovery of the same signal by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson in 1965.

Berets & Horns

 Berets and Horns

Yohji Yamamoto

Yohji Yamamoto (1943) is a Japanese fashion designer based in Tokyo and Paris. He gave up a prospective legal career to assist his mother in her dressmaking business, from where he learned his tailoring skills.

He further studied fashion design at Bunka Fashion College, getting a degree in 1969.Considered a master tailor alongside those such as Madeleine Vionnet, he is known for his avant-garde tailoring featuring Japanese design aesthetics.

Yamamoto has won notable awards for his contributions to fashion, including the Chevalier/Officier/Commandeur of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon, the Ordre national du Mérite, the Royal Designer for Industry and the Master of Design award by Fashion Group International.

Berets form a good part of Yamamoto’s collection, but one needs a well filled wallet to purchase one.

Jaakko Kivimaki

A great series of portraits of Finnish boineros/as by photographer Jaakko Kivimaki.

Bart Backaert

Together with my brother Frans, Bart is a prominent Flemish boinero, keeping beret wearing alive in Belgium!

Bart has been the head of the Green Department of the City of Aalst for 20 years, totaling over 40 years work for the city. 

Aalst is a leading city where it concerns ecologically sound management, commitment to a diverse natural environment and maintaining a balance between greenery and letting nature take its course. 

Bart is passionate about trees (to use an understatement), as evidenced on his Facebook page de Aardsterrenkijker (many beret photos included!). He also has an amazing talent for captivating stories, told with humor and swagger.

Bart got his first beret at a flea market in Gent, and was hooked. 

More berets followed from trips to the Basque Country and presently, he wears a French Vrai Basque.