Adorning the heads of soliders, pop stars, musicians and sportspeople for 70 years, Kangol is one of the most recognisable and long-standing headwear brands in existence. Its storied history started inauspiciously in a sleepy northern town in the late 1930s, when Jacques Spreiregen started his Basque beret manufacturing business.

Early 1900s: Polish-born Jacques Spreiregen arrives in UK via France. Serves with British medical corps in WWI, briefly returning to France at the conclusion of the war, before resettling in the UK as a manufacturer’s agent, handling the import of Basque berets from France.

Early 1920s: Basque berets rise in fashion stakes – worn by Duke of Windsor (and briefly Edward VII) and schoolgirls.

1930: Elsen Schiaperelli creates high fashion black felt beret, worn by film stars Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich; adopted by women everywhere. Jacques Spreiregen imports huge numbers of Basque berets into UK as style increases in popularity. Kangol name created to differentiate Spreiregen’s brand from competitors.

Mid 1930s: Spreiregen begins making own berets as demand outstripped import availability.

1937: Spreiregen chooses Cumbrian town of Cleator, a designated "Distressed Area", as base for new Kangol factory. Plant and machinery imported from France. Locals eager to work are employed at local factory.

Summer 1938: First classic Kangol 11" berets sold in shops for two shillings each.

1939: Outbreak of war sees Military Cap Department established for Government contracts. Difficult times at Cleaton factory – workforce slashed from 150 to just 45 employees.

1942: Escalation in war sees massive surge in demand for berets for armed services and defence corps. Practicality of Kangol beret design ensured it was selected for general use as the non-dress fatigue hat for all uniformed men and women in British Armed Services. Kangol factory renewed employment trying to keep up with demand.

Post World War II: Initial slump in post-war profits alleviated by redirection towards sports and fashion with supply of team berets at the 1948 London Olympics. New factory opens in Frizington, Cumbria and production soars to 125,000 berets per quarter. Korean War helps production of military berets.

1952: Company floated on stock exchange.

1953: Sales drop due to end of Korean conflict, a reduction in British Government contracts and the end of national military inscription. Kangol looks deeper into fashion with new styles designed by Eileen Greig.

1959: New export markets of South Africa and United States open up for Kangol.

1964: Kangol wins sole international rights to headwear featuring The Beatles logo; begins collaboration with Mary Quaint and branded sponsorship of golfing legend, Arnold Palmer.

1970s: With US sales increasing, Kangol opens up new markets within the African-American and Golfing sectors, creating distinctive styles such as the Spitfire, immortalised by music legends like Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield and Jimmy Cliff, or the Vent-Air cap, worn by American golfer Payne Stewart. It pays off; Kangol is worn by kids on the streets of Brooklyn and older generations on golf courses, providing a cross-generational appreciation for the brand.

1984: LL Cool J sends Kangol into the public consciousness of the MTV generation, wearing the classic Kangol Burmuda bucket on the cover of his 1984 album, Radio. Subsequently, hip-hop stars Run DMC, Erik B and Rakim, and Grandmaster Flash adorn their heads with Kangol.

1995: At the height of Britpop, stars Oasis and Blur wear Kangol in music videos, concerts and the party scene, increasing its "Cool Britannia" heritage. Urban credentials are increased with brand ambassadors like Goldie, Lennox Lewis and Linford Christie all wearing Kangol.

1997: Iconic indie actor Samuel L. Jackson wears Kangol’s ′504’ almost entirely through Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, further entrenching the Kangol logo as a symbol of laconic cool.

2000s: Kangol celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2008 with the launch of the commemorative 70th anniversary 504 Basque beret – limited to just 700 pieces.