What is a genuine Panama hat?
In this consumer age, almost any white hat is called a Panama, and this is far from the truth. It is illegal, misleading and downright confusing. It's like selling a polyester tracksuit as hand-woven silk.
For more than 7000 years the Ecuadorians have been weaving Panama hats from a sacred palm tree - known as the Toquilla palm. Using an ancient, time-consuming process, they transform the organic leaves into exquisite hand-woven hats.
In the 18th Century, these hats were exported across the world via Panama (prior to the canal), which is how they came to be known as the Panama hat. The Californian gold rush created the first huge wave of Panama hat buying. To the chagrin of the Ecuadorians, their most famous artwork is named after another country.
If a hat is hand-woven in Ecuador, using the Toquilla palm, it is a genuine Panama hat. The easiest way to tell is to look at the top of the hat. If the straw fibres flower out from the centre of the hat (like the photo above) then it is a genuine Panama. If it is square, or without a centre then it is a machine-made copy.
Why does it matter if it is a genuine Panama? It is the difference between a bespoke tailored linen suit, and a polyester tracksuit. They are comfortable, breath beautifully, are expertly crafted, elegantly shaped, biodegradable and the best possible hat for a hot summers day. They are the real thing ...... in a world of cheap copies.
To further your exploartions, have a look at How to recognise a genuine Panama hat.
Comments on this post (2)
I thought the same thing as the first comment I read. I knew that Panama hats were made in Ecuador, but they weren’t named for the Panama Canal in the 1700s, because there was no Panama Canal until the 20th Century. So, I got here by asking "what is the difference between Panama straw and Toquilla straw. I have been given far too many different answers. One said Toquilla is a Chinese straw. I have an expensive Tommy Bahama Panama Hat. In the label it says “100% Genuine Panama – Handmade in the USA”. I would love to know exactly what 100% Panama means. This is the best hat that I have ever owned and would like another made from the exact same material, perhaps with a couple of rows of air vents woven into it. It was $129 when I bought it about 3 or 4 years ago, I looked at it again in the same hat store and the same hat is now $195.
———
Truffaux Hatmakers replied:
Hi David – I am pretty sure the hat is named after the country of Panama (where the Panama canal is). Most likely your hat is a Panama – Tommy Bahamas sell real one.
Warm Regards
Oska Truffaux
<https://www.truffaux.com/blogs/panama-hat-advice/ask-the-panama-hat-guy> <https://www.truffaux.com/blogs/panama-hat-advice/ask-the-panama-hat-guy> <https://www.truffaux.com/blogs/panama-hat-advice/ask-the-panama-hat-guy>— David Robert
“In the 18th Century, these hats were exported across the world via the Panama canal,”
Um, no. Not even close. The Panama Canal wasn’t completed until 1914.
———
Truffaux Hatmakers replied:
Hi Tony – I do agree – they actually passed through the Panama ismuth back then – I just thought it would confuse everyone if I got into it. They went up the river, hiked through the forest then sailed on out. At least that is what I understand. I could just say “Panama”
— Tony S