Berets made by Elósegui of Tolosa, Spain in the Basque Country

Studio Boina, home of the finest Basque berets from Spain

Hello, welcome to my beret site, where I offer Berets made in the Basque region of Spain by Elosegui of Tolosa.

Note; This is a long intro,  scroll down if you want to go straight to the Berets

My journey offering these Spanish made Berets started after I lost my own beret along with my luggage on a flight back home.  On my following European trip I searched every shop I came across, from Paris to Barcelona, and never found a beret like the beret I lost. Either the material didn’t feel right, or they had a sewn-in band; which I knew I didn’t want in my beret.  I  had bought my beret in San Sebastian, I found the name of the company and contacted the factory, Bonias Elósegui, in Tolosa, Spain and bought a dozen berets, thinking I would keep a few for myself and sell the balance on Ebay.  Well, they sold so quickly I decided to buy two more dozen.  Then people asked for a smaller size, larger size, different colors and now ten plus years later I have pretty much every stock size and color offered; including many special-order colors only available through my shop. I now ship these great berets world wide; even back to Spain!

You can view photos from customers on my Beret Buyer’s Tribute Page. Why are these berets so great, why spend $35+ on a beret when you see beret for $5 on ebay?  Well, it’s all about the quality.  Those cheap berets you see are mostly made in China from a lightweight mix of fibers that are felted into the shape of a beret.  The berets I sell are made by a family company with over 150 years of tradition behind them.  They only use the finest pure wool, I’ve even had orders held back because they didn’t approve of the wool batch they received.  They don’t just felt bits of wool and other fibers like the cheap berets, no, they spin, then weave, felt, and then hand shape the berets. Take a look at this video about the production process of making a beret at Elosegui in Tolosa, Spain.  I own several brands of berets, from a pancake thin Kangol to a quite nice French brand.  I don’t know quite how to explain it but even the pricey French brand just doesn’t feel right.  I made the mistake a few summers ago of only taking this French brand 11.5″ beret to Europe as my only head wear.  While it seemed fine at the start of the trip by the second week I was really regretting I hadn’t brought my trust Spanish beret along.  There is just something about the feel, the weight, the texture of the Elósegui berets. Yes, this is highly subjective I know but I truly believe these are the finest berets made and that is the  reason why I don’t offer any other brands of beret.

So, now that I have your attention, how can you buy one of these great berets? First off, I do not sell berets with leather headbands;  I find them uncomfortable, the leather is often of poor quality, they quickly become stiff from the salts in perspiration;  they just don’t conform to most head shapes.  So, all the berets I sell use the beret material as the headband.  All sizes come from the factory with the same approximate 6.5 inch headband diameter (varies slightly from batch to batch), the wearer then needs to stretch the headband area to fit their head (people with small heads may need to shrink the headband area (I can explain how)).  Once stretched the beret pretty much stays that size.  I include simple instructions and have a youtube video as well. So the key is finding the correct outer diameter. I offer berets from the tiny 9.5 (custom size I ordered)  to the giant 14.5 inch Txepeldun.  Please take a look at the the photos on my Tribute Page, maybe draw a circle on a piece of paper, or measure a plate, to get an idea of the sizes.  My beret stretching video is also a great place to start; so you understand how the sizing works.

Choosing a size is a very personal decision, and it depends on your head size too.  It’s difficult for me to advise but I can tell you that I have a big head, hat size 7 3/4+. I like to wear an 11″ or 11.5 inch beret for when I want a close fitting ‘look’, say for working in the garden or shop, but mostly I wear my 12.5 inch Beret so I have some beret material to shape and to get some protection from rain and sun.  The sizes above 12.5 inch start to look quite big and that ‘Renaissance’ look needs to be something you’re looking for.  But I do accept exchanges (and refunds) if you discover you ordered the wrong size. The standard factory colors are Black, Red, and Blue.  For me to get any other color I need to place a 6 dozen order and they must all be the same size.

So, I do my best to offer several custom colors but they are in limited size options.  I currently have the following custom colors:   11″ Moss Green, 11″,  11.5″ dark brown, , 11.5″ grey, 12″ Khaki, 12.5″ Camel, 12.5 Dk. Grey/Charcoal, and 14.5″ light blue. If you choose a size you will then see the colors available in that size.

The shopping cart process allows you to pay through Paypal. You don’t need a Paypal account to check out; it is possible to check out with just a credit card.

If you don’t want to use Paypal you can  wire funds, or send me a U.S. Dollar check to:

Ron Greer 5218 20th Avenue NW, #210, Seattle, Washington 98107

Shipping within the USA is $4, $5 for two berets. International shipping rates keep going up! Now $16; including Canada or Mexico. I will refund the difference for the few countries that are still $13.50.

Have a question?  email me at: rgxrg@yahoo.com, or call/text me at: 206-679-6877 (Pacific Time)

RETURN/EXCHANGE POLICY:  Returns and exchanges accepted (minus shipping) but please DO NOT TRY THE BERET ON. Please read the included instructions first; before handling the beret.

I am just one person doing this as a hobby and if I receive berets that have the paper liner torn/wrinkled, and or, the beret itself stretched I can only put them in my ‘returned pile’.   When you receive your beret take a look at it, in the sleeve, maybe set the beret on your head, but judge if its the proper size without trying it on. 

November 2019: I am having problems getting the factory to responds to my order requests.  I’m not sure I will be able to get more stock; but I’m trying.

Update 16 December; well the factory has actually answered one of my emails. There is hope I will be receiving berets in January!  I’ll believe it when I see them.

Note, May 2020: The U.S. Postal service has changed their rates, they now go by distance (not just domestic or international) and there is now quite a jump at the 9 ounce level for some countries; like Australia. A 14.75″ beret costs $27 to ship to Australia; smaller berets to Australia are still $16.50. The $27 rate applies for up to 3 berets though.  July, 2020; I am now taking the paper insert out of the 14.5″ berets going over-seas; which brings the weight below 8 ounces and I will refund you any shipping excess. January 2023 – shipping prices is up again; I’m afraid.

Free shipping on domestic orders $150 and above.

NOTE: October 2023 After 20 plus years of selling berets  I am slowly winding down my little hobby. I will not be placing any new order but I am still selling what I have in stock.   ron

16 September 2024 – I will be out of town until 1st of October 2024. You can place an order any time and I will ship upon my return. Ron

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