Our genesis

Chéri Bibi was born in 1987 from a love of hats and fine French tailoring. A love story between our milliners and headgear that is still being written with passion in order to perpetuate techniques that have remained unchanged for over 700 years.

Dive into the heart of our historic workshop

1987

After studying design at the Duperré school in Paris, Madame Barban joined a design workshop where she became obsessed with hat-making know-how. When her employer’s business closed down, Madame Barban decided to set up her own French hat workshop. Chéri Bibi was born one day in 1987 in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, as a tribute to her “bibis chéris” (darling baby hats) as she likes to call them.

1997

Chéri Bibi, the high-end hat manufacturer broke away from the capital of Paris and moved to Corrèze where Madame Barban set up her studio in the basement of her own home.

2006

The French hat workshop had grown and was finding itself cramped for space. Madame Barban then moved to the current workshop in Combressol, in a human-scale building located in the middle of the Corrèze forest.

2021

Long-time friends, Christine and Moustapha fell under the spell of the Corrèze hat workshop. An entrepreneur in the world of gastronomy and a salesperson, the two know-how obsessives joined forces to take over the reins of this French haven of hat design, which now employs more than twenty people.

1987

After studying design at the Duperré school in Paris, Madame Barban joined a design workshop where she became obsessed with hat-making know-how. When her employer’s business closed down, Madame Barban decided to set up her own French hat workshop. Chéri Bibi was born one day in 1987 in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, as a tribute to her “bibis chéris” (darling baby hats) as she likes to call them.

1997

Chéri Bibi, the high-end hat manufacturer broke away from the capital of Paris and moved to Corrèze where Madame Barban set up her studio in the basement of her own home.

The workshop of Chéri Bibi under the snow

2006

The French hat workshop had grown and was finding itself cramped for space. Madame Barban then moved to the current workshop in Combressol, in a human-scale building located in the middle of the Corrèze forest.

2021

Long-time friends, Christine and Moustapha fell under the spell of the Corrèze hat workshop. An entrepreneur in the world of gastronomy and a salesperson, the two know-how obsessives joined forces to take over the reins of this French haven of hat design, which now employs more than twenty people.

A love letter to our beloved hats

Elegance, poise, confidence, allure, stature… We love hats for the additional soul they bring and the way they adorn a profile, imbuing it with a unique and singular aura

Historic pieces of our wardrobes, headgear accompanies us through all the major stages of our lives and evolves according to trends and occasion. However, its inherent expertise has remained virtually unchanged for almost 700 years. To wear a hat is to wear a little piece of history, which we cherish and preserve with passion.

Chéri Bibi