The Haute Vallée de l'Aude is a very dynamic territory where many inspiring projects are born. Among these, KMM productions had the chance to film the great hat factory of Montazels, Montcapel.
The latter has been indirectly recognized at the national level through the mayor of the town who won the grand prix des maires in the category of economic development organized by RMC radio in 2022. It is in this context that we were contacted to produce a short video with an informative purpose with an interview and illustration shots to present the project and the reason for the award.
Founded in September 2019, the MontCapel cooperative has taken over a former hat-making site in the Aude region with the goal of re-making felt and wool felt hats. Thanks to the workers still possessing a unique know-how on century-old machines, this hat factory is the last one in France able to manufacture its raw material.
It is a pleasure for us to be able to approach this type of initiative to give them more visibility.
In this context we interviewed the production manager of the factory as well as the mayor of Montazel to learn more about the ins and outs of the project as well as the technical aspect of the production of wool felt hats from start to finish.
The 1800's Montcapel factory has a real charm and atmosphere due to its history, which we tried to capture through our illustration shots. The factory used to be staffed by a hundred employees but now has only a dozen; this is reflected in the image by large empty spaces crossed by a few people.
The machines that make up the factory are a hundred years old and the hats that they allow to be made take us back to a time when industrialization was not delocalized and when everyday objects were made by the next-door neighbor.
At KMM Productions, this is also what we like to film, the history of the past transmitted through its architecture, its techniques and its know-how in order to be inspired for our present.
Here is the link to the hat factory website for more information on its history and what it produces:
https://www.montcapel.com/
