the.com/panama hat
A hat named after the wrong country to flatter the right canal.
means A lightweight, hand-woven brimmed hat made from the toquilla palm plant, traditionally worn in tropical climates.
from Despite the name, it's woven in Ecuador, not Panama — the craft dates back centuries among coastal Ecuadorian weavers. The misnomer stuck because the hats were shipped through Panama, and especially because workers building the Panama Canal wore them, giving the world (including, famously, a photographed Theodore Roosevelt) the lasting impression that Panama was home. Ecuador has spent over a century quietly correcting the record.
- true origin
- Woven in Ecuador, not Panama
- name hijack
- Workers wore them building the Panama Canal
- celebrity boost
- Teddy Roosevelt wore one touring the canal, 1906
- quality test
- Finest ones hold water without leaking