Roll up a Panama Hat?
But it still looks fine!
Panama Hats and Balsa Boxes
Panama Hats Made in Ecuador?
Por favor, don’t do it! This is a
myth unfortunately propagated by unknowing Ecuadorian merchants who hope
they will never see their one-time customers again. Panama Hat fiber
especially the “fino fino” fibers are cloth-like and supple moreso than any other
palm or grass fiber. The “fino fino” Panamas truly have the texture of
linen. But even so, if you roll up or fold a piece of good cloth, it will
wrinkle. Won’t it? Well, so will Panama Hat fiber. It is a great fiber but
not a miracle, permanent-pressed fabric.
Generally once a Panama Hat has been blocked, it should not be rolled up.
Blocking is a process of shaping by steam and is usually done on a large
mechanical metal press that forms that hat into its final shape.
But I rolled up my Panama hat for years and it looked fine.
Yea sure. We
often hear people tell us this. But when we ask to see the hat, it looks
like hell. It is folded, creased, squashed and sat-upon. I can roll up a
Panama Hat and unfold it miraculously a few times. But to continuously
fold or roll the blocked Panama Hat is not good.
Weren’t Panama Hats once
shipped to this county in balsa wood boxes?
Yes but back
then in the 50’s and earlier, every town had a hatter who blocked Panama
and felt hats. When purchased, these unfinished Panama hat bodies were
blocked in the style of the customer’s choice. Unfortunately, all those
hatters have retired or closed down. So if you are rough with your Panama
Hat, there are very few qualified hat blockers in the country who can help
you fix your damaged Panama Hat. So por favor be careful.
Why are they called Panama Hats if
they are made in Ecuador?
Marketing and salesmanship. One hundred years ago very few tourists
traveled to Ecuador. But at that time many people traveled to Panama, many
to work on the Panama Canal. The Panamanians were and still are active
merchants who found they could sell these very nice Ecuadorian hats to
visitors. And those visitors who bought one of those nice hats came back
home with a hat from Panama – a Panama Hat. The name stuck.
