Description
The Drop hat is made from Panama Cuenca, a type of woven straw that takes its name from the city of the same name. Our craftsmen work the hat, the shapeless semi-finished product from Ecuador, with the sole aid of water vapour and heat.
The hat is made by hand on wooden moulds so that it takes the desired shape of the crown and brim. It is handled delicately throughout the process so that it retains the traditional and unmistakable elasticity of panama fibres. Prolonged air-drying enhances its lightness.
This Drop hat is a medium wing hat, developed in the colour lake blue. It comes with a sand-brown grosgrain belt embellished with the gold brass Doria logo.
Panama Hat: History
The material used for this hat is Panama and has an incredible history. It is woven from threads of "paja-toquilla", a straw made from the leaves of the Carludovica palmata plant, typical of tropical America. These threads are collected in the towns of Montecristi and Jipijapa by artisans scattered in small villages and then sold as plaits in the city of Cuenca.
The tenderest shoots of the plant are washed, boiled, dried in the sun and then left to rest in the night breeze. This process produces the natural colour typical of Panama. The final step is to dye the straw in baths of natural tones, allowing the chapel to have the desired colour.
Panama's craftsmanship is completely handmade and is an important part of Ecuador's cultural heritage. Its ancient production techniques were recognised in 2012 as a UNESCO Intangible World Heritage Site. Depending on the type and degree of weaving given to the straw, Panama takes on different names and qualities. The finest quality can involve up to eight months of manual labour by local weavers.
