The Legend of Augustin the Sailor

A long, long time ago, in a small village in Brittany, there lived an old man named Augustin Guethenoc.

Originally from Josselin, he had settled in a village on the Armorican coast and had spent much of his life on the water. His bond with the sea was so perfect that all his friends had nicknamed him Augustin the Sailor.

He often set off for weeks at a time to fish at sea. He was very brave; nothing stopped him — not the cold, not the wind, not the storms, not even the threat of pirates who sometimes attacked other boats… But after all, what did he own that could stir up envy, apart perhaps from his old rigging and his cargo of freshly caught fish?

No, Augustin's true wealth lay in his values: courage, loyalty, friendship, a code of honour, and a strong sense of family.

He had found love. His wife Anne fulfilled him. Yet something was always missing. Sometimes, after a long voyage, Augustin felt tired, his legs a little heavy, and he always complained of having holes in his socks.

An outstanding seamstress, his wife Anne began knitting him socks with reinforced toes and heels, using long-fibre combed cotton for maximum softness. She then began weaving the finest fabrics from the best cottons and wools to make Breton stripe tops and a short beanie, which she called a "miki" — brimless, coming down over the ears, so that it could never blow away at the first gust and Augustin could always listen to the wind.

With such socks on his feet, protected by an interlock cotton Breton stripe top, and a miki beanie firmly on his head, Augustin the Sailor felt so comfortable, so well protected, that his courage, strength and confidence multiplied tenfold.

And, above all, his elegance did not go unnoticed and won everyone's admiration. In every port of call the wind carried him to, sailors and landlubbers alike wanted to dress like Augustin. In every harbourside bistro, he was all anyone talked about.

"Anne, would you knit more socks and weave more Breton stripe tops so that my friends, too, can be protected with such elegance?" Augustin asked his wife one day.

Anne set to work, and the long winter evenings by the fire were spent knitting, weaving, sewing… She also added patterns depicting the boats and nautical objects Augustin used, as well as the birds he encountered, the fish he caught, the sea, a boat, the worth of a friend he had met, the emblem of a region he had passed through, nature, an animal.

The wind did the rest…

Thanks to his stops in Breton ports and also in Augustin's favourite maritime regions — the Celtic Nations, the Vendée, the Basque Country, Normandy, the regions of the North and South — success was total: everyone wanted his socks and clothes. They were sold in maritime outfitters, ship chandlers, and quality sailor clothing shops, and sailor fashion was born…

From century to century, from generation to generation, the descendants of Augustin Guethenoc passed down this legend, and at the end of the last century, the legend became reality. In 1996, the French brand Augustin was created, along with its trusted namesake company, Augustin sarl.

Today, Augustin socks, accessories and sailor clothing are worn by elegant, discerning men and women who care about wearing sturdy, comfortable clothes. In turn, following in the footsteps of and paying tribute to Augustin the Sailor, they want to be champions of the traditions and values of maritime regions.