Mamasita

Mamasita Panama. Hat

Designer Ernesto Lee, founder of the Mamasita brand, took over a hat factory in his home country of Ecuador with his family many years ago. The factory itself boasts of over 150 years of history and it was there he began manufacturing for big international brands and created his own Panama hat brand “Mamasita” in 2004. To this day they are still the driving force behind the production of Loro Piana and Stefano Ricci brand straw hats.

In the same year, Ernesto brought Mamasita to Taiwan, where their top-quality line of Panama hats became popular with celebrities and artists. No matter if it’s the subtle elegance of a cream-white hat and a black trim, or striking contrasting colors that show off the boldness of Latin America, behind all of these styles is none other than Ernesto.

Ernesto majored in stage design, loves acting and movies, and has been immersed in different kinds of art from a young age, he employs his keen eye for aesthetics as the brand’s design director. Aside from carrying on the classic styles, he brings the newest, trendiest Pantone colors into his designs each season, matches color schemes to the shape of each hat, the patterning and form of each trim, and creates new fashions from these traditional hats.

In recent years, Ernesto has worked hand-in-hand with master weaver Sra. Flerida Pachay (full name: Flerida Yolanda Pachay Anchundia) to create a line of top-quality straw hats. In 2011 Sra. Flerida Pachay was the recipient of the UNESCO Excellence Award for Crafts. Together they bridge generations and cultures to interpret the hundred-year-old Panama hat for contemporary fashion.

Despite its name, the Panama hat actually originates in Ernesto’s home of Ecuador. Ecuador not only produces the raw materials used for these hats, but maintains their unique weaving process.

Panama hats are called “Sombrero de Paja Toquilla” in Spanish. Toquilla is a kind of plant, and its long, thin and tough leaf fibers are the best material for weaving straw hats. Depending on how elaborate the crafting process is, the best quality Toquilla hats can take anywhere from 3 months to 3 years to make. In 2012 they made the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

The highest quality Panama hats come from Montecristi in Ecuador, and are made of the nascent fibers of the Tierno Paja plant, rather than the Paja Toquilla ordinarily used, and are finished using the traditional bent-over weaving technique. The word “Montecristi”, which originally denoted the hats’ place of origin, has become a marker of the finest quality straw hats.

Mamasita’s Panama hats have that “Montecristi” guarantee, and when you hold them and examine them closely you can see the fineness of the weaving that makes each hat light, breathable and as soft to the touch as holding a piece of melting butter in your hand. This craft is a national treasure and the pride of Ecuador.

A cream white hat with a black satin trim, Humphrey Bogart in “Casablanca”, Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady”, Panama hats have left an enduring impression on Hollywood film history. The legacy behind Mamasita’s Panama. Hat allows them to keep developing and weave a proud legacy for the next century.
 

Special Features of Mamasita Panama. Hat

1、An Ecuadorian brand with 100 years of history, Mamasita’s straw hats are all handmade.

2、They bring together UNESCO Cultural Heritage top quality craftsmanship and unique materials, crafted by six master hatmakers who take turns to weave using the traditional bent-over method over a period of 6 months to 3 years.

3、Mamasita’s Panama hats all come with Ecuador’s “Montecristi” highest quality guarantee. They can all be rolled up and remoulded, are light and comfortable, and of such fine quality that they are even waterproof.

4、Mamasita’s whole line of hand-woven Panama hats are all of the finest quality craftsmanship, as recognized by the UNESCO’s Excellence Award for Crafts. 

5、The most unique thing about the top quality “Super Fino” hats is how incredibly soft they are, they are one of the world’s highest quality handmade products. 42 small knots can be woven in a line across one inch (2.54 cm) of each hat and they can be folded in half and rolled into a cone so small it can pass through a ring. This is the craftsmanship that goes into the finest Super Fino handmade Panama hats.