The Genuine Panama Hat—Made in Ecuador?
BY AWAKE! WRITER IN ECUADOR
WAS the customer duped? To an observer, it might have seemed so. Why, the fellow paid $300 for a genuine Panama hat. But the salesman took it out of a box that was clearly stamped “Made in Ecuador”! A fraud? Far from it. In fact, the true Panama hat is indeed made in Ecuador. But how did such a misnomer come about? And why would such a hat be worth hundreds of dollars?
In the mid-1800’s, gold seekers rushed to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama. There they purchased hats imported from Ecuador. In time, the hats came to be known by the name of their point of purchase rather than their place of origin. In any event, the Panama hat became very popular. In 1849, for example, Ecuador exported more than 220,000 of them! Then, in 1855 a Frenchman who lived in Panama introduced the hats to the world’s fair in Paris. The fashion-savvy French were impressed with the delicate material, some even describing it as “straw cloth.” Soon it was virtually unthinkable to wear any other style!
The popularity of the Panama hat soared at the start of the 20th century when a photograph of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt sporting a stylish fino appeared in the world press. The demand for the chic hat rose. Prominent companies around the globe began distributing them. In Turkey, modernization laws banned the traditional fez in 1925 and mandated the use of Panama hats. By 1944 the Panama hat had become Ecuador’s primary export item.
By the second half of the 20th century, the popularity of hats waned. Yet, Ecuador’s finely woven Panama hats maintained their mystique. Indeed, expert hatters throughout the world compete for premium-grade specimens. Famous people from bygone eras to our day have been captivated by the elegance of the Panama hat. It has graced the heads of Winston Churchill, Nikita Khrushchev, Humphrey Bogart, and Michael Jordan—to name but a few.
Of course, there are inexpensive mass-produced imitations of the genuine Panama. However, many of these crack; others do not breathe. In contrast, the genuine Panama is light and airy, and it lasts a lifetime. Each is handwoven and therefore is one of a kind. Prices range from a few dollars for the coarser hats to over $1,000 for the rarest, the superfinos of Montecristi. Quality is determined by the fineness and regularity of the weave as well as the consistency of color. But always remember this: A genuine Panama hat is made only in Ecuador.
[Box/Pictures on page 26, 27]
The Making of a Panama Hat
How is the Panama hat made? A palmlike plant provides the supple yet resistant fiber called toquilla. Ecuador’s coastal lowlands provide ideal conditions for the growth and regeneration of this plant. The Ecuadoran hat artisans are considered to be among the world’s finest weavers, and what painstaking work they perform! It can take them six months or more to weave the high-quality Montecristi superfino. The length of each fiber in the hat is quite short. Yet, in a genuine Panama hat, you can hardly tell where one strand ends and the next one begins. Furthermore, the strands are so tightly woven that even water will not seep through!
The town of Montecristi is renowned for its excellent handwoven hats. The masters of the Montecristi area weave in the early morning or late afternoon so that the equatorial heat does not affect the pliancy of the fiber. They begin the crown by meticulously weaving circle upon circle of intricately laced fiber until the desired diameter is achieved. Then the crown is placed on a cylindrical wood block so that the artisan’s hands can deftly spiral downward as he weaves the sides. After many weeks his weaving proceeds at a right angle to form the brim. A thorough trimming, washing, and bleaching coupled with sundry finishing techniques produce the famed Panama hat.
[Pictures]
Straw fibers of the peeled leaves are boiled and dried before weaving
[Picture on page 27]
Winston Churchill is one of many well-known people who have worn the Panama hat
[Credit Line]
U.S. National Archives photo