Watch this GlobalPost video to learn how to make the Panama hat.

A Panama hat or just Panama is a traditional brimmed hat of Ecuadorian origin that is made from the plaited leaves of the toquilla straw plant (Carludovica palmata)

Straw hats woven in Ecuador, like many other 19th and early 20th century South American goods, were shipped first to the Isthmus of Panama before sailing for their destinations in Asia, the rest of the Americas and Europe

For some products, the name of their point of international sale rather than their place of domestic origin stuck, hence “Panama hats

”[1] The 49ers picked up these hats in Panama, and when President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Panama Canal construction, he wore such a hat, which increased its popularity

They’re also known as a Jipijapa, named for a town in Ecuador once a center of the hat trade

The Oxford English Dictionary cites a use of the term as early as 1834

[2]
Panama hat made for Harry Truman

Glorified during the 19th century, the Panama has since been considered the prince of straw hats

Ecuadorian national hero and emblematic figure, Eloy Alfaro helped finance his liberal revolution of Ecuador through the export of panamas

The reputation of the hat was established by Napoleon III, Edward VII, and some other aficionados

Popularity and culture

Panama hats are often seen as accessories to summer-weight suits, such as linen or silk

Beginning around the turn of the 20th century, panamas began to be associated with the seaside and tropical locales, such as Brighton or the Caribbean

They are usually preferred over felt hats in such climates for they are light coloured, light weight, and breathable

Beginning in the late 1960s, hats in general were worn less often

However, the Panama seems to be one of the few hats to survive the tests of time

Men can still be seen sporting a Panama in the tropics

It is, by no means, as popular as it was during the golden age of hats, but it is still surviving

As a matter of fact, well founded hat companies, such as Dobbs, Stetson and Cavanaugh, now produce more Panama styled hats than felt hats, such as fedoras or bowlers

In the long-running British sci-fi television show, Doctor Who, the Panama was worn rarely by the First Doctor (William Hartnell), occasionally by the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) in a rolled up style, and most frequently by the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy)

The novelty song, “Tan Shoes With Pink Shoelaces”, by Dodie Stevens contains the lyrics “A Big Panama with a Purple Hat Band!”

1940s film actor Paul Henreid often wore Panama hats in his films

Most memorably as Victor Lazlo in Casablanca, and in the Bette Davis drama, Now, Voyager

In the films of the 1930s and 1940s featuring the Chinese/Hawaiian detective, Charlie Chan; the lead character also often wore Panama hats, along with a matching white linen suit

Quality

Panama hat quality is a heavily disputed subject

There are two main processes in the hat’s creation: weaving and blocking

The best way to gauge the quality of the weave is to count the number of weaves per square inch

Fewer than 100 would be considered low quality

[citation needed] There are many degrees of increasing quality, up to the rarest and most expensive hats, which can have as many as 1600–2000 weaves per square inch[citation needed]; it is not unheard of for these hats to sell for thousands of dollars apiece

The quality of the weave itself, however, is more important

A high weave count, even an attractive-looking one, does not guarantee a well-woven hat

It is said that a Panama of true quality (a “superfino”) can hold water and when folded for storage can pass through a wedding ring

[3]

Although the Panama hat continues to provide a livelihood for thousands of Ecuadorians, fewer than a dozen weavers capable of making the finest “montecristi superfinos” remain

The UK’s Financial Times Magazine (Jan

2007) recently reported that there may be no more than 15-20 years remaining for the industry in Ecuador, due to the competition of paper-based Chinese-made imitations, especially as a few hat sellers dominate and manipulate the market

Source: Wikipedia