Imagine some chic French lady on the Riviera. The detail that gives the final touch to the scene : most probably a wide-brimmed hat with colourful stripes. This the type of hat you will find on the stand at the entrance of Suncap Ltd. This small factory in Goodlands displays a savoir-faire that has been nurtured by six generations in the family of the managing director, Wilfried Guilment-Dandurand.

In 1998 the Frenchman decided to bring his expertise to Mauritius to continue his family trade. Suncap Ltd produces hats for well-known European brands such as Reine de Saba and Cyrillus as well as for the local market. It also produces swimming trunks for makes such as Vilebrequin.

From the outside, the production room sounds hectic. The constant drone of sewing machines, punctuated by stamping and rasping noises, drowns the voices of the workers. From inside, the room looks quite chaotic. People are constantly talking, walking from one side of the small room to another, crammed between rows of sewing machines, boxes full of hats and tables piled high with fabrics.

While the production manager, Vaughan Jaunky, explains how the hats and swimming trunks are made, we realize that what looks like chaos is actually a well-structured workroom. ?We have 47 people working here,? he says, ?producing up to 4,500 hats and 2,500 swimming trunks per month.?

On the left, two women are cutting rolls of cloth into various shapes with an electric saw-like machine. ?The cloth is imported from France,? points out Vaughan. ?We use cotton, linen, tweed and cashmere among other types of fabrics.? The latter vary in colour and texture. Some are plain, others printed and even waterproof. ?The cloth is treated in France, with a special type of oil for the winter hats.?

Once cut, the pieces are ?prepared?. A woman adds details such as labels or other accessories before the hat is assembled. She shows us a thin piece of white plastic, cut to shape, that is placed inside the hat to make it waterproof.

The hat is then sewn together. One section of the room has two parallel rows of sewing machines where each person has a specific job. ?Our employees are mobile though and they can move from one post to another to look after different stages of production,? says Vaughan. Once it has passed through all the stages such as the sewing of rim, hem and inside layer, the hat is ready to go next door.

In another even smaller and more crammed room, a group of workers add the finishing touches and inspect every item produced.

In the corner, a woman is shaping the hats. The machine she uses works like an old-fashioned iron. A flame heats up a block of metal from beneath. She sprays the hat with a little water then places it on the heated metal, careful not to burn the fabric. The hat is then beaten all round to stiffen it. After making sure the hats are perfect, the workers pack them.

Since 2000, Wilfried has decided to market his products locally. ?We can produce good quality at a relatively low cost,? he explains. He has thus set up shops in Caudan Waterfront and Grand Bay. But the expertise of Suncap Ltd can also be appreciated in the hats it makes for the local brand popular with young people: Habit.