Style or Necessity

Why do people wear hats? Is it for fashion or necessity? Some hats are worn for its style while some for its practicality. But, do you know a hat that is worn for both? This is surprising but the Panama hat is famous for its unique styles and usefulness.

Today, the Panama straw hat is a hot trendsetter available in a variety of styles and is wearable with any attire. Celebrities and fashion connoisseurs love to don the Panama hat. You might notice the Panama hats with many famous people in pictures or movies or in fashion ramps.
Back in Ecuador where the Panama hats are woven, the straw hat is not a style thing. In the tropics, the Panama straw hat is a perfect remedy for hot sun. It is light, airy and cools the head while providing shades. People wear the Panama hats for the intense heat, and it gives a distinctive look for both men and women.

The Panama hats are worn by the tourists to the natives in Ecuador. It is almost an obsession for the people who lands in Ecuador to get a Panama straw hat. The elegant patterns, smoothness and softness have made the Panama hat one of the most sought after straw hats in the world. The Panama hat is an elegant protection from the heat and great for any occasions.

Whether you are out for a party, playing golf, smoking a cigar, wearing a guayabera, gardening, watching a horse race, running around the beach you will be protected with style. You can wear it with your casual or classy attire. The Panama straw hats flatter most faces and for traveling, it is very easy. You can just roll them up. The Panama hats exhibit the exemplary fine artistry of the master weavers in Ecuador.

The Ecuador Panama hats are attractive and functional. It allows wearers to enjoy the outdoors with style and without feeling the heat. Get remarkable designs, get protected from the heat and enjoy the attention.

Heading to US

The Panama hats were famous on its own in Panama, where the straw hats were sold. However, the US contributed a lot in bringing the straw hat into the limelight. It was during 1800s, when the Gold Rush began that the relationship between Panama hat and USA started. People rushed to California crossing the Isthmus of Panama, as that was the easiest way at that time. While passing through Panama, they bought the fine straw hat on the way. Words soon spread about the Panama straw hats in USA. The Panama straw hats were fine, airy and gave the protection they needed from the strong heat. The demands soon started to flow in and Ecuador exported 220.000 hats to California. The international presence of the Panama hats grew enormously after this.

In 1898, during the Spanish American War, the US Government ordered around 50,000 Panama straw hats from Ecuador for protecting the soldiers from the sharp heat of the Caribbean sun. The straw hat was a perfect solution to offer shades for the troops.

It was during the construction of the Panama Canal construction that the popularity of the Panama straw hats took to a new horizon. In 1906 the construction of the Panama Canal started. US workers and engineers arrived in Panama for the canal construction. The Panama hats were crucial for this project as the climate in Panama was hot and humid. Working under the strong heat made the workers to wear the Panama straw hats daily and the finest of the straw hats could hold water to refresh them while they dug the soil. When the then President of USA Theodore Roosevelt came to inspect the Panama Canal construction, the Ecuador Panama hat rose to fame. The picture of Theodore Roosevelt wearing a Panama hat appeared in The New York Times. That triggered the popularity of the Panama straw hat in USA. Though, people mistaken the origin of the Ecuador Panama hat as they didn’t know the straw hat really originated in Ecuador at that time. The name ‘Panama hat’ was stuck but whatever the name was, the hat was welcome in US enormously.

A Hat Worn By Princes and Paupers

Hats were worn to identify the status of the person in the past. Aristocrat men preferred to be seen with the most stylist and expensive hats in public. The hats they wore were elaborate to symbolize their powerful role in the society. The natural purpose of wearing a hat that is for protecting against heat was restricted to the lower classes or laborers and these hats were not as stylist or sophisticated as the hats worn by the rich people. In olden days, the hats were an important part of men’s outfit, and it represented their status. However, one hat that was loved by both the royalties and the laborers was the Ecuador Panama hat.

The Panama hats are lightweight, airy, and durable. These great feature suits perfectly for hot climates. During the gold rush, these straw hats were bought by people on the way to California. The workers of the sugar and tobacco plantations in Cuba bought these straw hats, as they were highly comfortable for the hot climate. During the construction of the Panama Canal in early 1900s, workers wore the Ecuador Panama hats for protecting them against the burning sun.

The Panama hat soon became a hat for the royalties when it was taken to Paris by a Frenchman in 1855. It was displayed in the World Fair. It became a fashion sensation in Europe when Napoleon III wore a Montecristi hat and spread the trend to other European countries. Soon the Prince of Wales took fancy of the straw hat and wore one to the races. The Panama hats were a favorite among the royalties. Sweden’s King Gustavus V wore his Panama hat whilst playing tennis.

The Panama straw hats have been adorned by the rich and famous and it was seen on the heads of the poor as well. The straw hat is loved by all no matter how rich and poor they are.

Why You Need To Care Your Panama Hat

The Panama hat is fame for its gracefulness and fine quality but it is also known for its high priced tags, specially the fine weave Montecristi Hats. Since it is not those kind of straw hats that you can buy it again and again, of course unless you have that much of money, it needs to be taken care of. This is an authentic hat, which you must take good care to lengthen its longevity.

The Panama hats are made from the Toquilla straw found only in Ecuador. This straw contains some amount of humidity and due to its thickness becomes very flexible. It has the ability to absorb additional humidity and in dry places expels it. If the hat remains in dry places it will gradually weaken the straw and if not taken care it will eventually break or crack the Straw Hat. Handling the Panama hat carefully is also important. Some people grip the crown with much pressure and that will make the straw weaker. If you don’t take care of your Ecuador Panama Hat then it can last only for a couple of years of continuous use.

If you want your authentic Panama Straw Hat to last for long, then taking care of it and handling it properly will be the solution. There are certain tips, which can help you to prolong the duration of your panama hat. Following this tip, you can have your panama hat to last for longer.

The Ecuador Panama Hats are a very exquisite, sophisticated and finely woven Straw Hat that takes a long process to complete it. It can enhance any wearer and add a graceful touch in their face or overall outlook. It will be a bad idea if you do not pay much heed. A wonderful handicraft needs to be treated with much care. The Panama Straw Hat brings the wearer alive. Do not kill its gracefulness by being careless. The Panama hats if taken good care can last generations.

The Art and Crafts of Ecuador

In Ecuador, you will be amaze to find many handicrafts. The country has highly skilled artisans who can make anything from hats, to woodcrafts to paintings. Every place you go in Ecuador, there is always a thing of artistry to appeal you. Some of the handicrafts have made Ecuador famous in the eye of the world. These handicrafts are not only beautiful but also quite practical.

The Panama hat

One of the most exquisite and world-renowned handicraft from Ecuador is the Panama hat. Do not get fooled by the name. This straw hat was named after the place where it was sold, the name struck but the fact has been out that the panama hats are from Ecuador. The Ecuador Panama Hats are the most excellent handicraft straw hat. The texture, the smoothness and the weaving is so fine that it is also the most expensive of all hats. The Montecristi Hats is the finest of all and you will never find a finer and superior hat anywhere. Apart from the fine weaving, it is said the Panama hat can hold water if your turn upside down and at the same time be airy. The straw hats also serve as a Roll Up Hats where you can roll it for storage without breaking the original shape. Perhaps because this straw hat is both a beauty and very practical, it makes it the most expensive straw hat in the world. The finest Panama Hat takes months to weave and it goes through a long process to produce this satin like Straw Hat.

Woodcarvings

In Ecuador, you will find many wood crafted artifacts. In the churches woodcarving are in done in the interiors. San Antonio is the main center where you will find many woodcarvings figures for sale. Most people in San Antonio are skilled wood carving masters.

Bread figures of Calderon

The Ecuadoreans are very skillful that they even changed the shape of the bread. Often in the street of Calderon, you will find colorful figured bread. Do not get confused this bread with dolls as there are made in the shape of men, women and other figures.
Apart from these handicrafts, there are lots to discover in Ecuador. There are truly skilled and produce the best crafts in the world.

Panama Hat Was Ecuador’s Main Export Item

Ecuador has been known for its high quality headgear since years. In mid 1900’s the Panama hat was Ecuador’s main export item and until today it has been captivating many people around the world. This straw hat was weaved in Ecuador and sold within as well. Later the Straw Hats were shipped to Panama. As Panama was a major trade center, the name of the Straw hats from Ecuador was named Panama hats. Ironically, later when people came to know the fact of the Panama Straw Hat’s origin, the name didn’t change.This was the first time that the Panama Straw Hat was exported. In 1849, Ecuador exported the Panama Hats in more than 220,000 pieces. It was introduced to the rest of the world when a Frenchmen took the Ecuador Panama Hats in Paris and presented them in the World’s fair in 1855. Knowing the highly fashionable taste of the Frenchmen, soon the Panama hat was adorned for its beauty and it was unthinkable to replace them.

The popularity of the Panama Straw Hat was even higher in the 20th century when the then president of US, Theodore Roosevelt sported a Montecristi Hat. That picture got published in the world press. More demands were in and soon Ecuador began to export more of the Straw Hats to the world.In Turkey, the use of the traditional fez was banned in 1925 and the use of Ecuador Panama Hats was mandated. It was by 1944 that the Panama Straw Hat became the major export item of Ecuador for a short period. Till now, the demands of the Ecuador Panama Hats are growing and the straw hat still maintains its charm.

The main center of the Ecuador Panama Hat is in Cuenca and Montecristi. In Cuenca, the Panama hats are weaved faster and in mass to meet the demands but with inferior quality than the Montecristi Hats. Now, Panama is no longer the main country of export, today Ecuador Panama Hats are exported worldwide to countries such as United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, etc, etc.