From berets to top hats, the Tallaght man who stays motivated by his passion for preserving an ancient craft

Dubliner Mark Saunders from Tallaght has lived in France for 30 years having moved there with his French wife in 1995 and settling in the southwest of the country. He is known for rescuing Laulhà¨re, the oldest and last authentic French company making berets. It has used ancestral techniques to craft its items since 1840. Having gained experience in other French headwear companies, he was hired to restructure the factory and rebuild Laulhà¨re in 2012. As sales and marketing director, his priorities were to save the French-made product and make it profitable, which he did over the following eight years….