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 ...

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 ...