In Beaussais-sur-Mer, between Saint-Malo and Cap Fréhel, six artisans knit and sew every Baie des Caps sweater from start to finish, in a single workshop, since 1986. Baie des Caps is a small Breton sailor-sweater manufacturer, holding the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company) label: here is what this small scale changes, concretely, about the sweater you wear.
6artisans
1986founded
1workshop, from yarn to finished sweater
EPVLiving Heritage Company
Everything happens in the same building
In the textile industry, knitting, cutting, assembly and finishing are commonly split between several sites, sometimes several countries. Here, everything fits in one building, on two floors: knitting and pressing on the ground floor; cutting, sewing and finishing upstairs. Every sweater is knitted AND sewn on site — and since the workshop is also the boutique, you can come and check for yourself during the free visits held in the French school holidays, watching the artisans at work. It is our only “proof of origin”, and the most solid one there is.
What a team of six makes possible — and mass production does not
The lifetime anti-pilling guarantee. We choose long-fibre wools and knit tightly; we prove it by replacing, for life, any sweater that pills.
Lifetime repairs. A snag, a pulled thread? The sweater comes back to the workshop and is repaired by the very hands that knitted it.
Adjustment to your measurements. Sleeves too long, a long torso? We adjust sleeves and length before shipping.
The manufacturing number. Every sweater carries a sewn-in number: ten years later, we can trace your exact colour and size.
A small manufacturer, real production runs
Being small does not mean improvising: the workshop holds the French state label Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company), produces its series on an annual knitting schedule, and has dressed loyal customers for almost forty years. In August 2026, France 3 came to film the artisans at work, and France 2 relayed the report — but the best tour is still your own, during the school holidays.
Your questions
Who are Brittany's small sailor-sweater makers?
Brittany has a handful of human-scale knitting workshops. Baie des Caps is one of them: six artisans in Beaussais-sur-Mer (Côtes-d'Armor), who knit and sew every sweater in a single workshop, holding the Living Heritage Company label and open to free visits during the French school holidays.
What defines a small Breton sailor-sweater manufacturer?
Scale and integration. At Baie des Caps, knitting, cutting, sewing and finishing all happen in the same workshop, by the same team of six artisans. That is what makes possible the lifetime anti-pilling guarantee, lifetime repairs in the workshop, adjustment to your measurements and a manufacturing number on every sweater. On any sailor sweater, the sewn-in label is what states where it was made.
Where are Baie des Caps sweaters made?
Entirely in Beaussais-sur-Mer, Brittany, in our atelier-boutique: knitting and pressing on the ground floor, cutting, sewing and finishing upstairs — by the same team. Each sweater's label says so, and the workshop can be visited.
Can you visit the workshop?
Yes, free of charge, during the French school holidays: Wednesdays and Fridays, from 11 am to 12 noon. The visit is self-guided, with explanatory videos, and ends with a chat with the knitter. The shop, next to the workshop, is open all year round, 10 km from Dinard.
Discover the sweaters — or plan your visit.
