07/08/2026
Once upon a time, whole factories would close in August, sending thousands of workers and their families off on annual holiday.
In the 1930s, French workers began receiving paid holidays, effectively shutting down large parts of French industry. Known as La Fermeture Annuelle ou Les Congés Payés it remains to this day part of the French rhythm of life.
The pace slows, plans become loose, the dress code softens. A chambray shirt, linen shorts and a striped sweater, worn thin over many summers in sun, sand and wind.
