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In the 19th century most Basques wore traditional rural clothing, like the txapala (typical Basque beret) and abarkak (espadrille-like shoes). There were two kinds of traditional clothing, the Atlantic one and the Mediterranean. These styles were very common until the second half of the 20th century.

Around that period people started to dress in a more fashionable way. The upper-class who lived in more urban coastal cities like San Sebastian and Biarritz showed off their glamorous sense of fashion at events like horse and motor-racing, or while playing golf.

Natural evolution

After a while, rural people started to copy their look and a natural evolution began in modes of dressing: some apparels disappeared and others changed. The tradition changed from clothing worn on a daily basis and began to function as costumes and a way to express their Basque identity, especially during the Franco regime, when they weren''t allowed to speak in Euskara. By wearing typical Basque clothes, it still gave them the chance to show off their national feeling.

The txapela: A Basque icon

The item of clothing most characteristic of the Basques, and which survived the eclipse of more ''fashionable clothing'', is the txapela, or the typical Basque beret. Men in Euskal Herria have been wearing it forever, mostly in black. They wore it while working and also on formal occasions. On festive occasions, men and women put on their red berets. It is traditional to award a txapela to the winner of a competition. The Basque word for champion is txapeldun, which literally means ''the one who has the txapela''.

For the past 30 years, people are no longer interested in old folkloric clothing, but that doesn''t mean the fashion scene in the Basque country is disappearing. Some famous designers and brands made their names in this area.

Cristobal Balenciaga

A very famous Basque haute-couture designer who has meant a lot to the fashion industry is Cristobal Balenciaga. He was born in Getaria, a fishing village in Gipuzkoa. In 1919 he founded his first boutique in San Sebastian, where he received a lot of appreciation for his work; not long after that, he opened shops in Madrid and Barcelona. His clientele consisted mostly of aristocrats, but during the Spanish Civil War a lot of them had financial problems and Balenciaga was forced to close his shops. So he decided to move to the fashion capital of the world, Paris. His first couture collection was a great success, and he decided to re-open his houses in Spain.

Cristobal Balenciaga gained a lot of respect from fashion king Christian Dior and designers like Oscar de la Renta, Emanuel Ungaro and André Courrèges were taught and inspired by him. His influence and importance for the contemporary fashion scene cannot be underestimated.

During the last fifteen years, young designers have started up streetwear brands. Some of these labels are now sold all over the world.

Loreak Mendian

Loreak Mendian is a hip streetwear brand that was founded in 1995. The inspiration for their collections comes from art, music and architecture. Even though the clothes seem plain, their charm lies in the perfect finishing and in the small details. They also give a whole new meaning to the term ''window shopping''. Their shop windows always look like a piece of modern art, in which the clothes are displayed in a very original way.

Because of the large amount of followers in the surf community, Loreak Mendian opened a shop in Australia in 2004. Throughout the years, the brand has collaborated among others with the Icelandic band Sigur Ros, the Kursaal in San Sebastian and the shoe brand Vans. Although Loreak Mendian is a very modern and fashionable brand they don''t forget their Basque roots. Last summer they added espadrilles to their collection, a shoe which was typical in traditional Basque clothing.

SkunkFunk

The streetwear label SkunkFunk started in the Basque Country about ten years ago with a small T-shirt collection. Nowadays, their empire has expanded and they sell their clothes all over the world. When you buy an item from SkunkFunk, you can be sure it''s unique, multifunctional, and of very good quality. Instead of investing in flashy advertisement, they use pictures SkunkFunk lovers have made of their own outfits. In this way they can keep the prices relatively low.

SkunkFunk succeeds in creating collections that are always funky, eclectic and very fashionable as well as environmentally friendly. They use ecological fabrics like bamboo, organic cotton, soy fibers, recycled bottles and organic hemp. Their inspiration comes from all over, from Chinese supermarkets to bus rides and cities like London and Marrakech.