Gorostiaga Hat Shop.

Gorostiaga and Pirla, two surnames at the service of the txapela.

The beret or txapela, has always been present in the streets of the Basque Country. An accessory, which at one time was indispensable in the head of every Basque, and today, to a lesser extent, remains a beloved accessory throughout Euskal Herria. We went to the Sombrerería Gorostiaga in Bilbao in search of a good txapela and we left this Bilbao store and workshop with a good txapela, a good conversation and a lot of knowledge. Do you want to know everything that Emilio Pirla told us?

Euskal Herria Txapela

Although Sombrerería Gorostiaga specializes in all kinds of hats, from TurismoVasco.com we wanted to emphasize the history of our beloved txapela (beret).

Txapela Size

History of hat shops.

What at the beginning of the 20th century was one of the most demanded sectors, went into crisis in the 40’s and 50’s due to the little use that was made of hats. And you will ask yourselves, why? Simple. The hat was an element that marked a clear differentiation of classes, an element that pointed directly to the wealthy and the poor alike, a recognition that at that time was of no interest. Nowadays, the local hat shops survive facing international markets and department stores, fighting against all odds.

Box of Txapelas model Superlujo

The History of the Gorostiaga and Pirla families.

The Gorostiaga and Pirla families are the main pillars of the hat shop that concerns us, Gorostiaga at the beginning and Pirla at present. The history of Sombrerería Gorostiaga dates back to 1857, the year in which Fructuoso Gorostiaga opened the first store in Bidebarrieta Street in Bilbao. With the passage of time, Benjamin Gorostiaga, the next generation, changed the location of the hat shop taking it to Correo Street and providing it with an establishment that responded perfectly to the needs of that time. Alejandro Gorostiaga, the next and last Gorostiaga to take the reins of this emblematic hat shop in Bilbao, asked a craftsman from Leon, Isidoro Pirla, to send one of his sons to Bilbao to take charge of Gorostiaga. That was the story that brought Antonio Pirla to Bilbao, a person who after working as a master milliner’s assistant, became the owner of the business in the 1920s, having up to 6 employees under his command in 1930. Today, after Luis Pirla passed through Gorostiaga, Iñaki and Emilio Pirla run the hat shop. Brothers and partners, who dream that Arantxa and Ander Pirla continue with the family business, keeping this Bilbao shop alive and in the hands of the family.

Luis Pirla, Gorostiaga Hat Factory

News from the Gorostiaga Hat Factory

Currently Gorostiaga is one of the few workshops with the knowledge and training necessary to make repairs or replicas of hats, a situation that makes it a unique workshop and store in the north of the peninsula.

Emilio Pirla, Gorostiaga Hat Factory

We wanted to buy our txapela directly from the factory, in Elósegi, at Tolosa, an option that was not possible as they did not respond to our calls or emails. When it comes to buying a txapela, we have several options, Boinas La Encartada, a fascinating museum where txapelas were made in the past and where today we can find berets made by Elósegui, large supermarkets or small stores like the one we show you today. We have it clear, Gorostiaga, has the knowledge and training to take home the txapela that best suits us.

The txapela.

The Txapela is not only a complement, it is an emblem of our culture and history. The txapela was from its beginnings a working class hat, of the villagers, of the fishermen, of the workers of the industry… of everyone.

Gorostiaga Badana

The txapela insulates the head, part of the body through which more than 80% of the heat is lost, creating a microclimate that helps us to overcome the humid, cold and rainy days that we have here in the north. The txapela also helps us to know the region of Euskal Herria where we are by looking at its size and the way it rests on its owner’s head. Thus we find:

Gorostiaga Coat of Arms

The Txapela can be bought with chamois (leather strip that is placed in the cavity of the txapela) or without chamois, this second option is the most popular nowadays, more comfortable. The txapelas without chamois are one-size-fits-all that molds to our head by heating it.

The Txapelas factories of Euskal Herria, were, are and will be, an emblem of our land, the best known are Boinas la Encartada and Elósegi but not the only ones.

Elósegui at Gorostiaga Hat Shop

The Sombrerería Gorostiaga is the best place to buy a txapela on your trip to the Basque Country and if not ask Fito, Loquillo or Alex Angulo.