Authentic Panama hats are
carefully hand woven from fine toquilla straw made out of palm leaves grown in the
Ecuadorian province of Manabi. Although worn by the natives prior to the
16th Century, these hats were first created by artisans for distribution in
1630. The art developed until the hats began to be exported in the early
1800's. They
acquired their name because they were sold in the ports of Panama.
The towns of Jipijapa
and Montecristi have become famous for the different
styles of Panama hats created by the artisans there. The quality of the
hat is judged by the fineness of the straw and the tightness of the weave.
Some of the better Montecristis are said to be so fine that they can hold
water, and it is not unusual for
it to take eight months or more to make a single "superfino" Panama hat.
Some of the more prominent wearers of the "sombreros de paja
toquilla," which were Ecuador's number one export in the 1930's and '40's,
included British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (above left), U. S.
Presidents Teddy Roosevelt (right) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (below left),
and later even Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev (below right). The
hats were the epitome of fashion elegance in that era. Anyone who has had the
pleasure of wearing
one, properly fitted, will know that their comfort and style are unsurpassed.
Unfortunately, the 1960's marked the decline of hats in general, and
the Panama in particular, as an item of men's fashion. This was prompted in no
small part by the tradition popularized by U. S. President John Kennedy
of going bare-headed. As a result, the production of good Panama hats is
almost a lost art today. All hope is not lost, however, and there are
still a handful of craftsmen and women who weave these hats, and
a resurgence of their popularity is still possible. Below are links to
some websites discussing the legendary hat.