Sustainability and authenticity have always been part of our brand values. Today we’d like to share with you the history behind our straw hats!
A lot of people don’t know but the Panama hat is made entirely in Ecuador. These hats became known as “Panama hats” because of their massive export from Ecuador to Panama in the18th century. At the beginning, the Ecuadorians exported their hats to Panama to be used by workers as sun protection.Years later, the hats were exported worldwide from Panama, leaving people with the impression this was their manufacturing origin.
Panama hats are handwoven by craftsmen from the cities of Cuenca and Montecristi. Creating a straw hat includes over 30 steps, from the selection and harvest of the toquilla straw to the tightness of the weave. The process of hat weaving looks something like this: Farmers cultivate the toquillas and harvest the stems before separating the fiber from the outer skin. Then it is boiled to remove the chlorophyll and dried for bleaching. With the use of this fiber, weavers produce the pattern, the crown and the brim of the hat. Then complete the process by washing, bleaching, oven treatment, ironing and pressing. Weaving a hat can take from one day to eight months, depending on its quality and finesse.
Today the Panama hat still remains at the forefront of fashion, being worn by numerous world figures, intellectuals, writers, painters and others all over the world. Have a look at these straw beauties here.