Easily identifiable for the timeless elegance of its famed silhouette, its fine weaving, its lightness, its flexibility and its resistance, the Panama hat has been a world sustainability since the 19th century. It is the must-have masterpiece that has become iconic and indispensable to the classical style as well as the most sophisticated one.
Historically rooted among natives in South American clothing tradition then discovered by the Conquistadors in the early 16th century the genuine ‘Sombreros de paja toquillas’ were actually made in Ecuador. Unrivalled material coming from the dried leaves of the paja toquilla plant, split into fine strands to make the straw that will be hand-woven whether in the town of Cuenca - where hatters are traditionally sitting while weaving and are able to produce numerous items - or in the town of Montecristi -where hatters usually stay standing and bend over their prestigious high quality work – Panama hats embody above all an ancestral and historical knowledge that has remained unique and unaltered since its origins.
A cultural heritage of excellence passed from generation to generation, it is not solely a unique design but also the expression of an art of living enriched by the heritage of the past and a symbol of today and yet out of time forever. This is how the current range includes, in respect to the rules of hat-making, any style from classical to modern fashion and is suitable for men as well as for ladies: Trilby, Fedora, Capeline… all of them are attractive with their refined and classy design, their noble material, their large array of shapes and styles and their wide range of colours.
Formerly worn as a protection from the sun and heat, they were soon adopted by the workmen who were digging the Panama Canal. They were inadvertently named after it and are now famous all over the world. Their popularity increased even more in 1906 when the US president Theodore ROOSEVELT wore it whilst visiting the construction site of the Panama Canal. As they were seen involved in the realisation of this link between two oceans, the Panama hats unwittingly contributed to make more open the world they were to conquer and built up this image of pioneer and trendsetter that would never be affected neither by their growing renown nor by their input in the refinement of classic design.
Thanks to a unique combination of a desire to outdo themselves, putting together inherited traditional skills, a constant quest for excellence and the wish for a timeless unique style, Legend of Panama has been striving to preserve this exceptional know-how for more than 100 years. Passionately selecting the best artisans both in Cuenca and Montecristi, Legend of Panama is committed to guarantee the quality of the raw material and the refinement of a hand-made individual production -sometimes eight hours of work a day and only two Panama hats a year.
This inclination, which was originally born from a true love for this unique distinctive technic that had come down through centuries and fashions, has strengthened itself by creating a privileged relationship with the artisans and by asserting a deep commitment: proposing the world best Panama hats and ensuring that the weavers are getting a fair price for each unique item so that they will live decently from their production and allow thus this century-old art to last over time and to go on protecting and dressing up the numerous coming generations.
