REPORT
She plans to achieve this either by producing the headwear in Loudun in their own workshop or by finding French companies to collaborate with. “One of the companies we just did a first project with is hat factory MontCapel, who produced a small collection of six different styles of wool felt hats for us. This whole undertaking is not just about making hats in France; it is also about sourcing everything from France, including the fabrics and ribbons, etc. We want to deliver a truly French product. The hardest challenge to make it all happen is finding staff. As the school in Loudun doesn’t exist
anymore, we need to train new people ourselves. This year we will have one or two apprentices as we are steadily growing.”
As a result of all the hard work after the takeover, the first Fléchet collection was launched in April 2021 and sold not just in France but also in several countries abroad. “The next goal is to find more customers for our collection,” says Corinne. “About 250 shops are selling our products in France now, which is nice, but not enough. We need to get up to 400 shops in France and export
to ten countries abroad. As we are aware that an item fully produced in France isn’t affordable for everybody, we have launched a second line: M for Fléchet. This sister label offers customers who don’t have the budget to buy premium Fléchet products the opportunity to buy a nice product influenced by Fléchet.” To stay true to the goal of keeping production and knowledge close to home, the complete M line is produced in Europe, in factories in Italy, Spain and the UK.
More information
www.flechet.eu
Tesi family ca. 1955 3rd from left: Stella and Sofia’s father, Carlo Tesi 3rd from right: Stella and Sofia’s grandfather, Guido Tesi 2nd from right: Giacomo’s father, Pietro
Tesi Florence, Italy
Florence is known worldwide as the region where for centuries fine straw hats are produced. Today, a large number of Italy’s hat factories can still be found here, such as Tesi Luigi & Guido Srl. This hat factory has its origins in a period when Italy was not even a country yet: hatter Pietro Tesi started his business in the 1850s in S. Piero a Ponti, a town on the outskirts of Florence, in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the brand had grown into an internationally renowned specialist in the making and selling of straw hats. Giacomo Tesi is one of the current owners of the family business, together with Stella and Sofia – the sixth generation working at the company.
The biggest part of the hats from Tesi’s collection are made in their own factory in S. Piero a Ponti. A small part is made elsewhere
in the area. They have 18 people working in the company at the moment. “About 60 per cent of the hats we produce are men’s hats and 40 per cent ladies’ hats,” says Giacomo. “Summer is still the main collection for us, being 60 per cent of the sales. But things are changing: what is designed for summer could be used for winter as well, and the other way round. Nowadays, the most important thing is that you produce something that is convertible. Even if you look at classic shapes, things are changing. The classic fedora from a few years ago is not the main
20 | the hat magazine #93
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