Going to Cuenca

[PabloElFlamenco]

Hi,
I've booked flights into Ecuador for February 2016.

Whilst Montecristi has the best reputation for hats, I just can't fit in a visit to this small town, the fact is I can't justify it to my wife to spend twice a full day in a bus to go there. A shame, but a justifiable one.

No such problem with Cuenca, and we in fact think we'll be able to jump over to Sigsig, to visit the woman's cooperative there.

Assuming I am willing to spend a few hundred dollars for a hat, where do you think I should do so?

Which are the best addresses for buying a fine toquilla hat in the Cuenca region?

Thanks for any tips!

Pablo

 

[Drdan]

If you do some research on Panama hats (Brent Black has an informative site), speak Spanish, and know how to effectively bargain, you'd probably fare better than the average tourist. Place "shopping in Cuenca" in a search engine, and you'll find lots of hat shops and exporters. For your price point, you probably could choose from a bunch of hats, and find one with the least imperfections, the most even rows, and the nicest overall look. Don't wear a gold watch or a gold chain unless you want to pay more.

If you want to do better, contact Panama Bob or other importers of Cuenca Panamas. Perhaps you can arrange to pick up a hat from their supplier, and have it blocked by a professional hatter once in Europe. You'd probably save a bit of money going this route, and I've read good things about importers such as Panama Bob. You'd have a real expert with a solid reputation putting aside some hats within your price range. If you did your homework, it would be enjoyable going through a group of hats, and choosing the best one out of the bunch.

Let the importer know how much you plan to spend, and find out yourself about some of the basic factors that determine the value of the hat. Quality and type of the weave, straightness of the rows, minimal inperfections, fewest or no discolorations, number of weaves per square inch or centimeter, no broken strands, etc. all determine the value of the hat.

Sounds like it would be an interesting trip.

 

[APP Adrian]

If you do some research on Panama hats (Brent Black has an informative site), speak Spanish, and know how to effectively bargain, you'd probably fare better than the average tourist. Place "shopping in Cuenca" in a search engine, and you'll find lots of hat shops and exporters. For your price point, you probably could choose from a bunch of hats, and find one with the least imperfections, the most even rows, and the nicest overall look. Don't wear a gold watch or a gold chain unless you want to pay more.

If you want to do better, contact Panama Bob or other importers of Cuenca Panamas. Perhaps you can arrange to pick up a hat from their supplier, and have it blocked by a professional hatter once in Europe. You'd probably save a bit of money going this route, and I've read good things about importers such as Panama Bob. You'd have a real expert with a solid reputation putting aside some hats within your price range. If you did your homework, it would be enjoyable going through a group of hats, and choosing the best one out of the bunch.

Let the importer know how much you plan to spend, and find out yourself about some of the basic factors that determine the value of the hat. Quality and type of the weave, straightness of the rows, minimal inperfections, fewest or no discolorations, number of weaves per square inch or centimeter, no broken strands, etc. all determine the value of the hat.

Sounds like it would be an interesting trip.

This.

Also let us know how your trip turns out. I think everyone wants to know about the hat too.

 

[alanfgag]

Greetings Pablo,

I seem to remember reading reports that retail shopping for hats in Ecuador is disappointing. Our Lounge member Aureliano has visited his family a number of times. He no longer posts to the Lounge but his account remains active and I think a PM might be a good way to reach him for his experience.

 

[Drdan]

Hi again Pablo...

The name of the FL member is panamabob (all attached), not Panama Bob. He's contributed extensively on the fora. There are so many nuances with these hats that I'd entrust someone like panamabob for guidance.

Research the differences between the llano and brisa weaves, and consider a hat with a backwoven, as opposed to a stitched brim edge. There are Cuenca hats that are dipped in bleach, and those that are smoked in sulfur boxes like Montecristis are. For $300 or a little more, and a solid contact in Cuenca, you can probably come home with a very impressive Cuenca that a great vacation in Ecuador would merit.

Definitely take lots of photos of Cuenca, Cuenca Panamas, and your special souvenir, and post them here!

 

[RBH]

Great to see you again my friend!
Please keep us updated on your travels.
Best of luck!!!!

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Many thanks for the helpful suggestions, with additional greetings to RBH and other old hands there.
I'm fluent in the Spanish language which I bank upon to be particularly helpful in Ecuador.

Panamabob is one of the reasons, together with extensive reading I've done on the subject of "sombreros de paja toquilla" on this forum, that I feel it may be unproductive going to Montecristi. I'd rather -if I could- buy a hat through Robert (Panamabob) Weber's channel than run the risk of paying the same price (or more) locally, an unhealthy market with a multitude of perverse effects caused by the medieval relation between producers and dealers.
I have one Montecristi, bought from Panamabob, a hundred dollar hat, supple and pliable, satisfying except I accidentally punched a hole in it due to not seeing the sharp obstacle in the blind corner above the fore brim. I repaired the hat with a small patch and glue, and that's the hat I intend to wear in Ecuador.

From what I've read, the market in Cuenca may be slightly more wholesome: more weavers, more competition, a far larger production. I've come accross a number of names of distributors in the city, prominently Homero Ortega e Hijos and the "Casa del Sombrero" which used to be the shop of finisher Alberto Pulla, who died in 2010.

I have a very nice Cuenca brisa, quite light, optimo style. Lacks the sulphur odor I want, though. Here's some pictures...
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/show...Hat-Thread/page87&highlight=Panama+Hat+thread

As already stated, I'm looking forward to visiting the womens' cooperative in Sigsig, http://gadling.com/2012/03/20/tour-a-panama-hat-factory-in-sigsig-ecuador/ , to see if they have the very nice quality of hats I'm looking for.

I also wonder whether there is any such thing as a local 2nd hand market for hats...an antiques store?

If any one has specific recommendations...I'm all ears!

Paul

 

[Drdan]

Seems like you're well prepared Pablo... If I were going, I'd very much enjoy conversing with the actual weavers in Spanish, and taking my time until I found the exact hat I was looking for. As long as you're well versed about the Cuencas, you'll most likely make a really nice purchase and take home a fine piece of wearable art.

Best wishes!

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Ok now, we're two weeks away from flying to Quito, where the intention is to stay a few days, then (probably) spend a few days more north, then off more to the south, to the Cuenca area. Whilst there, we intend to go to Sigsig, to visit the womens' weaving cooperative. Hopefully they have nice hats I could have something to report about. Any case, wherever in Ecuador, I'll keep my eyes open for hats in general.

 

[ChicagoWayVito]

Hi Pablo,

Do you also plan to look for hat bodies that are ready to be shaped? I would be interested in information about where to buy those.
Have a nice and safe trip.

Cheers,
Kevin

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

Well, hi Kevin, I'm into buying a hat for myself, provided it be a very nice hat for an interesting price (and I also need to buy a "Panama" for a friend who's just superficially interested in hats). But I'd be a fool if I were not interested in the whole process of making these hats. I'll bear your question in mind, and inquire as to whether they would sell unshaped hat bodies (the question will be: how many?) You might also wish to have a peek at their FB page "Tesya Sigsig Asociacion Tejedoras", mostly in Spanish but...why not try in English?