Description
Our Karen is a wide-brimmed drop hat made from Panama Brisa. The workmanship that gets its name Brisa is a simple weave generated by straw strands left more open in order to give more lightness and freshness to the hat.
The straw used by local artisans is made from the leaves of Carludovica palmata, a plant native to Central and South America. The processing from which the renowned Panama is made is done entirely by hand and is an important part of Ecuador's cultural heritage, which in fact became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012.
Our Salento artisans process the semi-finished product from Ecuador with the help of water vapor and heat, making the pull by hand on special wooden forms. Through this processing, the material takes on the desired shape of the crown and brim.
The hat, now formed, is handled especially gently throughout the process so that it retains the traditional and unmistakable elasticity of panama fibers.
The craftsmanship of Karen G is highly artisanal: in fact, it is made using only water vapor and heat, pulling it by hand over wooden forms. The grosgrain belt represents the final detail of a unique hat.
The threads are initially dyed in two different colors chosen by our style office, in this case the sea, which is a symbol of Salento, and bauxite, which represents our land. They are woven by the skilled hands of artisans creating a two-tone star pattern that makes this hat truly unique.
