AN OLD-AGE TECHNIQUE

Cuenca and MontecristiUNKNOWN SKILLS FOR A FAMOUS ITEM

Added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List since 2012, the making of Panama hats is a knowledge that has been passed down from generation to generation. It was originally a traditional hat, rooted in the ancient Ecuadorian culture, and only two towns, Cuenca and Montecristi were historically responsible for producing genuine Panama hats. The workers who were building the Panama Canal appreciated its lightness and freshness and used to wear it as a sun hat. That is how the hat was named after the Canal. Contrary to what one might think, the Panama is not a matter of shape but a weaving technic using young plants. That is why Ecuadorian people name it, even today, with its original name, el Sombrero fino de paja toquilla, a name which says a lot about its origins and yet keep the secret of its making.

Paja ToquillaNATURE, AN UNLIMITED WEALTH

The strands that Panama hats are made of come from the leaves of the palm Carludovica Palmata, best known as paja toquilla.

This plant originates from the main part of South America, more precisely from Guatemala to Bolivia but the leaves that are used for the weaving must be as soft and flexible as possible and that is why only the species from the mountains between the south of Manabi and the north of Santa Elena in Ecuador are privileged. The young green outer part of the leaf is gently peeled off so that to keep only the ivory-coloured inner part which is then split in thin strands.

A constant attentionA TRIBUTE TO GENTLENESS AND FINENESS

The thinner the cut is, the longer and more complex the weaving will be but the more beautiful its quality and the lighter its material. The strands thus obtained are briefly boiled before drying in the open air. They are frequently moved to prevent them from sticking together and require a constant attention. Little by little the strands dry and become straw. It is still possible to find on Ecuadorian markets this raw material necessary to Panama hats making.

Authenticity of manual workWEAVING THE EXPRESSION OF AN EXCEPTIONAL KNOWLEDGE

Weaving, entirely hand-made, can now begin. From the central rose which is the starting point of the crown to the edge of the brim, the making of a Panama hat is entirely realized by the same person. The initial rose is the absolute guarantee of the genuine craftwork and of the Panama in itself. So is also the smell of straw. This thorough realisation requires working 8 hours a day for several days, weeks, or even months according to the degree of fineness wanted. The straw needs to be always wet so that not to break and some weaving with very thin strands require to be made only in the morning with dew or late in the evening when the air is fresher.

Elegance and art of livingCAREFUL FINISHING, LAST STEP FOR A QUEST FOR PERFECTION

The last part of hat-making is a matter of very accurate finishing that displays the Panama hat’s quest for perfection, so essential to a lifestyle out of time and out of industrial logics: cutting and adjusting the fibres to finish the edge of the brim, bleaching, smashing the crown with a mallet to soften it, water rinsing to take the eventual traces away then heat-blocking the hat to obtain its final shape and appearance.

If the Panama is today an iconic accessory, fashionable, a symbol of elegance and of a certain lifestyle, it is in Ecuador a cultural object still worn in everyday life and a major asset of the traditional clothing in some areas.

An inimitable and incomparable qualityWEAVING AND QUALITY: CUENCA AND MONTECRISTI

Cuenca is the historical heart where the worldwide adventure of Panama hats began and which produces the biggest number of hats labelled ‘Genuine Panama Hats’. In Cuenca the hat-makers are sitting while weaving whereas in Montecristi, where production is less important and more artisanal but where the finished product is finer, more regular and more exceptional, the artisans are standing using their whole body to bend over the work. That is how Legend of Panama acquires each year the production of the best weavers from Montecristi, for only two hats a year. As fresh as linen, as light as air, impossible to imitate and to compare, those only two hats respond to the ultimate demand for excellence specific to Legend of Panama.