A new article is now online: Chapal - France.
Started in 1832 and now in its 6th generation of family ownership, the business is best known for its leather jackets, having made jackets for the French and American military's during WW1. In the early 1980's Chapal's current owner, Jean-Francois Bardinon took the reigns and has since steered Chapal to continued success, expanding the range to cover a more complete wardrobe, from shirting through to footwear, with a predictably strong focus on leather. A lot of the items are more "fashion" focused and not to my taste, but the jackets are timeless. Additionally there is a strong undercurrent of Jean-Francois' love of vintage motoring (something we have in common) which comes out in many of the designs, as well as the motoring specific products like driving glasses and helmets. Whilst these additions add further range to Chapal's offering, their leather jackets remain the cornerstone of the business.
The quality is superb, on par with the best leather specialists and all products are still made by hand in France. Rarer still is that Chapal own their own tannery and fur factory (in France). Most of the tannery's in Italy and France have been bought up by the luxury behemoths (LVMH etc) so it's inspiring to see Chapal still taking care of its own leather production from start to finish.