Our handmade Panama hats are appreciated around the world for their fine craftsmanship. At Laird we pride ourselves on creating hats with timeless style that are both beautiful, traditional and sustainable.
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). To be a genuine Panama, the hat has to be woven by hand in Ecuador. The weaving process alone can take between 1 day or 8 months depending on the complexity of the weave.
The Panama hat became a stape for the British summertime and came home with the British engineers who built the canal, which is also another theory for their name.
Either way, the Panama Hat was the pinnacle of refinement. Breathable, woven by hand for the air to pass through to keep the wearer cool and in a bleached white to reflect the heat away from the wearer, the Panama is the perfect summer hat.
