Cuenca city in Equador, Andes, is the capital of the Panama hat industry.
Palm trees are chopped down, treated and taken to Azuay province around Cuenca to be woven into elegant white hat with a black silk band.
This finest type of Panama hat, the superfino hats are quite famous in the international market, exported and sold in the fashionable boutiques like Christie's of London and Marks & Spencer.
The makers of superfino weave these hats in a manner that its fabric looked as smooth as a cotton sheet. The story goes you can fill a superfino with water and not a drop will pass through. Rolled up, it should pass through a wedding ring.
But the now this superfine quality of hats and its export is facing severe challenge as cheap Chinese copies are consuming the market.
marketing@alchempro.com
