Early one morning in June, a Panama hat weaver named Simon Espinal sat down to work at a wooden table in his house in Pile, an obscure village hidden in the hills near Montecristi, in Ecuador's steamy ...

Panama hats, which are brimmed hats made by knitting the Panama sour plant, are sometimes given grades such as 'Fino' and 'Grade .' Regarding these grades, different sellers use different numbers and ...

The "Panama hat" — characterised by a circular shape, thick band, and straw material — has long been a summer fashion staple. But while the headgear is beloved for its functional design that protects ...

The most notable misconception about the Panama hat is where it comes from. The handwoven straw hats are made in Ecuador, not Panama. They likely became associated with Panama because they passed ...

We visit one of the last — and best — practitioners of this vanishing art. Like his predecessors, he lives in Ecuador, not Panama. Early one morning in June, a Panama hat weaver named Simon Espinal ...