PANAMA HATS
A Panama hat keeps your head and brain dust-free. People who choose to wear Panama hats are open-minded, cultured, and free of hypocrisy and bourgeois attitudes; wearing a hat with pride and with respect for the craftsman who made it is a sign of ‘internal elegance’.
Photos on this page Copyright Nicolò Zanatta.
With a Panama hat you are not wearing an object designed by a famous stylist or produced by a manufacturer with a well-known label; the only Panama hats that exist are those skilfully woven by men and women in Ecuador. In this day and age where too many things are mass-produced, choosing a Panama Hat shows that you understand the value of something that is made by hand and therefore unique.
With due respect to the women intreciadore, the skill required to weave the fine fibres of a Montecristi is far greater than the skill needed to produce a Cuenca.
In Ecuador the condor glides…
In Pile, Don Manuel Alarcon and Don Alfonso Espinal weave with mastery…
In Otavalo the looms sing…
A population of artists dedicated to bringing elegance to the world.
Panama hats are made in Ecuador, è hecho in Ecuador.
CUENCA
begins from a central ‘rosette’ various levels of diagonal weaving in a circular design; lighter colour than Montecristi.
- Grade 2
- Grade 4
- Grade 8
- Grade 12
Cuenca hats are produced in the Sierra and are the result of a long and difficult process. They are mostly made by the expert hands of women weavers.
MONTECRISTI
Based on a horizontal/oval weave with no visible changes in panoply in a harmoniuous and compact design.
- Regular
- Fine
- Fine-fine
- Extra fine
Montecristi hats are made near the coast and are the marvellous result of a long and difficult work that fewer and fewer people know how to do.
