ORIGINAL MERINO WOOL BERET

The Original All-Made-in-Japan Wool Beret, Woven with Over 70 Years of Skill and Experience

Beret is flamingo's berets originated from a hand-operated flat knitting machine custom-built by Shigeo Hashimoto, the founder of our Kumamoto factory. Based on the prototype he created, we continue to manufacture berets at our Kumamoto factory to this day.

Our standard wool berets are unusual in that they are made exclusively from merino wool. Furthermore, every step, from knitting the body to clipping and sewing, is consistently carried out at our factory in Japan. Each beret is meticulously finished by hand, ensuring both quality and reliability.

From the selection of materials to the processes that bring out their best qualities, we are committed to our craft. We deliver berets that will be cherished for a long time, thanks to our dedication to color, shaping, feel, and fit.

 

Carefully Selected Material: 100% Merino Wool

Our standard wool berets begin with 100% merino wool yarn. Merino wool is a high-quality wool sourced from a special breed of sheep called "Merino." Compared to ordinary wool, its fibers are finer, giving it an exceptionally soft feel, and it is known as a particularly luxurious material among wools.

This material not only offers high heat retention but also excels in humidity regulation, ensuring a consistently comfortable wearing experience. Furthermore, it boasts high functionality such as moisture absorption and odor control, making it less prone to stickiness even when sweating and less likely to feel stuffy, which is a unique characteristic of merino wool.

 

Making the Beret Body: Knitting and Linking

The body of the beret is knitted on our original knitting machines.

Once the needle settings are made, the knitting machine automatically begins to knit the yarn, and the fabric for the beret body is completed in just about 7 minutes.

For the knitted fabric, skilled artisans manually thread each stitch at both ends onto the needles of a specialized Italian linking machine to sew them together. This step cannot be performed by machine alone; it requires human hands and demands the artisan's skill.

While it requires more effort than machine-only sewing, the seams are beautifully aligned, with minimal left-right displacement and minimal need for correction. The finish is exquisite, the wearing comfort is softer, and it doesn't feel scratchy against the skin.

After the beret body is completed, it is checked for knitting flaws, and repairs are made if necessary. Then, the small hole at the crown of the hat is gathered and closed.

Also, the small projection at the top of the beret is called a "chobo." If a chobo is present, the cord knitted with a special machine is carefully attached one by one by the artisan's hands.

 

Adjusting Texture and Color: Fulling, Dyeing, and Kneading

The completed beret body is put into a fulling machine. By slowly applying pressure and friction in hot water at about 50°C, the fabric shrinks, creating a fluffy, soft feel and a supple texture. This is a crucial step that brings out the inherent suppleness of wool and angora.

After fulling, the beret is dehydrated once.

Next is dyeing. Currently, our standard wool beret comes in a rich variety of 48 colors. We carefully adjust the acid dyes to achieve beautiful coloration and slowly dye the berets using groundwater from the Aso mountain range in our local Kumamoto.

The dyed beret bodies are quickly kneaded with skilled hands, then lined up one by one on cotton canvas, rolled up, and put into a special machine to smooth the fabric.

Canvas is a durable material that maintains the beret's shape while smoothing the fabric surface. This process is performed twice on both the front and back of the beret body, totaling four times.

By suppressing fuzz and softly blending the entire fabric, a smoother felt-like texture is achieved.

Afterward, it is dehydrated again and proceeds to the next finishing process.

 

Shaping: Natural Drying and Molding

After kneading and dehydrating, the berets are naturally dried outdoors in a well-ventilated area to prevent mold. By drying slowly without applying heat, the fabric does not shrink excessively, and the original fluffy texture of the beret is preserved beautifully.

The sufficiently dried beret bodies are set into heated molds and shaped into a round beret form. After tightening the edges of the beret body with a rope to fix the folds, they are placed in an electric dryer at 150-160°C to firmly set the shape.

After shaping, there's a final touch. The surface of the beret is carefully trimmed with clippers for about 1-2 minutes to remove fuzz, bringing out an even smoother texture.

 

Until Shipment: Sewing and Inspection

Size adjustment tapes, or our original jersey tapes with name and quality tags, are sewn onto the main body using a sewing machine.

This completes the "Original Wool Beret," which gently conforms to any head, offering comfortable wear.

Each sewn beret is carefully inspected one by one. It is thoroughly checked for holes, scratches, or dirt. If there are no issues, it is passed through a needle detector twice to meticulously confirm that no needles or other foreign objects are present from the sewing process.

Afterward, the color and size are precisely confirmed against the product specifications, and each item is carefully packaged into a plastic bag and inner box.

Once all processes are complete, the berets are shaped, packaged, and shipped to customers.

 

An original Japanese-made wool beret, meticulously knitted by artisans with over 70 years of experience.

Please experience this fluffy comfort for yourself.

Click here for the product page

 

(This content has been translated using automated tools. For full accuracy, please refer to the original Japanese page.)