Many years ago when I was first in Ecuador, I learned that this country was the actual origin of the "Panama Hat". On that visit I didn’t manage to buy one but have somewhat regretted it ever since because they are significantly more expensive to buy outside of Ecuador. So, one of my objectives for this visit (if I got this far)was to buy a nice Panama Hat.
A little research...
1) Why is it called a Panama hat if it originates from Ecuador?
There are several stories about this and you can take your pick. The first is that the hat was imported to Panama in quantities in the 18th century and used a great deal by the workers who built the Panama Canal - a huge story in its own right. The other most common story is that it was effectively named by US president Teddy Roosevelt around 1900 after he visited the Panama Canal and purchased one of the hats there. On return to the states, when he was asked what sort of hat it was, he referred to it as a Panama hat because that was were he got it.
2) What sort of hat is it anyway?
Well, I believe its technically a Fedora.
3) What is it made of and How is it made?
It is made of shredded palm leaves (Carludovica Palmata) which is a small palm from the coastal side of the Andes mountains in Ecuador. The leaves are shredded and then hand woven into a blank (a ¨brimmed cone¨). The weaving process can take months for a single hat and there are two places in Ecuador that do this MonteCristi and Cuenca. The MonteCristians were the originals and have been doing it for hundreds of years, while the Cuencans have taken the art up more recently and have been doing it for about 50 years. After the blanks are woven, they are bought up by hat makers and blocked into the shapes that we are familiar with.
4) What’s so special and why are people willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for them?
Well, I don’t know really. I can say that a good one is definitely a creation of great skill and beauty. I can say that a good one is beautifully soft and supple and will last for years. They can also be rolled up and stored in a cylinder indefinitely for transport.
I also think that they look very nice.
The price of the hat is basically dependent on the quality and quantity of work involved in its making. Good hats have a very consistent, very tight, and very fine weave (up to 30 fibres per inch). In my shopping around Quito I was shown one hat that was very fine and was priced at $US800 and the salesman was quite adamant that it would sell in the states for about ten times that price. Yes it was a salesman, but I was inclined to believe him. I wanted to spend about $60 for a reasonable hat but having seen a felt the really nice hats, I just didn’t like the feel of the hats at that price, so I ended up spending more than I planned - Oh well you only live once, and its just money. I feel happy with the hat I got but I’m sure I’ll never cut it in high society :) ...
A little research...
1) Why is it called a Panama hat if it originates from Ecuador?
There are several stories about this and you can take your pick. The first is that the hat was imported to Panama in quantities in the 18th century and used a great deal by the workers who built the Panama Canal - a huge story in its own right. The other most common story is that it was effectively named by US president Teddy Roosevelt around 1900 after he visited the Panama Canal and purchased one of the hats there. On return to the states, when he was asked what sort of hat it was, he referred to it as a Panama hat because that was were he got it.
2) What sort of hat is it anyway?
Well, I believe its technically a Fedora.
3) What is it made of and How is it made?
It is made of shredded palm leaves (Carludovica Palmata) which is a small palm from the coastal side of the Andes mountains in Ecuador. The leaves are shredded and then hand woven into a blank (a ¨brimmed cone¨). The weaving process can take months for a single hat and there are two places in Ecuador that do this MonteCristi and Cuenca. The MonteCristians were the originals and have been doing it for hundreds of years, while the Cuencans have taken the art up more recently and have been doing it for about 50 years. After the blanks are woven, they are bought up by hat makers and blocked into the shapes that we are familiar with.
4) What’s so special and why are people willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for them?
Well, I don’t know really. I can say that a good one is definitely a creation of great skill and beauty. I can say that a good one is beautifully soft and supple and will last for years. They can also be rolled up and stored in a cylinder indefinitely for transport.
I also think that they look very nice.
The price of the hat is basically dependent on the quality and quantity of work involved in its making. Good hats have a very consistent, very tight, and very fine weave (up to 30 fibres per inch). In my shopping around Quito I was shown one hat that was very fine and was priced at $US800 and the salesman was quite adamant that it would sell in the states for about ten times that price. Yes it was a salesman, but I was inclined to believe him. I wanted to spend about $60 for a reasonable hat but having seen a felt the really nice hats, I just didn’t like the feel of the hats at that price, so I ended up spending more than I planned - Oh well you only live once, and its just money. I feel happy with the hat I got but I’m sure I’ll never cut it in high society :) ...
