The hat shop Mil (Fontanella, 20, in Barcelona) has become a hopeful exception among Barcelona's emblematic businesses. While in recent years real estate pressure has forced some owners to close, Núria Arnau, fourth generation of the business, reached an agreement with the building's owner company, Catalana d'Occident, for them to renew the lease and avoid moving. Arnau and her two sons, Sergi and Jordi Creus, were not confident since the COVID restrictions ended, and had started holding public activities in their workshop, but Occident not only renewed their contract at an affordable price, but also financed the renovation of the premises.

Inside our workshop at 31 Moles Street, a few meters from the noise of the center, we continue a craft that the Arnau family has been practicing for more than one hundred years. Mil Hat ShopFounded in 1856, Sombrereria Mil thrives today thanks to the skilled hands of artisans who still work with steam felt, shaping the block, sewing the leather lining, and finishing each piece as it has always been done: with patience, respect, and timeless elegance. Now, this centuries-old tradition is also in your hands.