My skin is brown, like the earth, and black like coal. Neither heat nor rain can penetrate. The armaillis love me, particularly in winter. I'm...the La Roche cardigan or waistcoat, if you like. A garment that's part of the life of the former Gruyerian seigneury.
But these waistcoats may soon become a thing of the past. The job of making them is really demanding. You have to reckon on about 90 hours of work and 1,6 kilos of rough wool per garment. A month of your time, actually. Another worry: you virtually cannot now find the raw material, the brown sheep's wool that hasn't been dyed or cleaned.
The waistcoat of La Roche is still worn by the Barbus de La Gruyère and can still be found within some families.
However, it is no longer available to buy, as there are no longer any knitters currently working.
La Gruyère Tourisme
Centre commercial Velâdzo (rez inférieur)
Place de la Gare 3
1630 Bulle
+41 (0)26 919 85 00
