Handwoven toquilla · Direct from the weaver · Shipped to NYC
Authentic Montecristi Panama Hats in New York
A real Panama hat and a New York summer were made for one another: a hat light enough for a humid July afternoon, refined enough for a rooftop in the evening.
Why a Montecristi belongs in a New York summer
New York heat is a wet heat, and that is exactly the climate the Montecristi was born for. Woven from a single length of toquilla straw, a genuine Panama breathes in a way that felt and blends never will — it keeps the sun off Fifth Avenue and the humidity out of a Midtown lunch. Worn with linen or an unstructured summer suit, it is the most elegant answer a New Yorker has to August.
From Central Park to a weekend in the Hamptons, it reads as quiet confidence rather than costume — the difference between a machine-made souvenir and an heirloom that will outlast a decade of summers.
The hat MoMA chose — for the city MoMA calls home
There is a nice symmetry here for New Yorkers: in 2017 the Museum of Modern Art, a few blocks from Midtown, chose the Panama hat as one of the objects that shaped the modern world for Items: Is Fashion Modern? The hat it exhibited came from the same tradition — and the same family — behind every hat we sell.
What makes it authentic
A genuine Montecristi is woven entirely by hand from real toquilla straw (Carludovica palmata) — never paper fibre, raffia or caña flecha — harvested by the Carranza family themselves in coastal Ecuador. One weaver makes one hat; the finest grades take from several weeks up to nearly a year at the loom.
We work directly with Domingo Carranza, a sixth-generation weaver from Pile, Ecuador. One of his hats was exhibited at MoMA in 2017, and his work has been worn by King Charles III. Read the full authenticity guide →
Wear it in the city
With a navy linen suit for a summer wedding; with a white shirt and tailored trousers for a gallery opening; with denim and a crisp oxford for a Saturday downtown. A Montecristi flatters because it is soft, natural and unmistakably real — and because almost no one else on the block is wearing one.
Shipping & fit to New York
Every hat ships free and fully insured to New York and anywhere in the United States, direct from the workshop. We handle the customs paperwork ourselves, so there are no import taxes or surprise fees at your door.
Sizing is simple: measure the circumference of your head just above the ears, and we match you to the right size — or shape a custom block for you. Because each hat is woven to order, custom pieces are final sale; the origin and the grade you pay for are guaranteed in writing.
Handwoven, one weaver per hat, bought direct from the Carranza family. No middlemen, no imitation straw.
New York questions, answered
Can you ship quickly for an event? Yes — ready-to-wear pieces ship promptly and insured to any NYC address; reach out with your date and we will confirm timing.
Will I pay import tax? No. We handle customs; the price you see is the price you pay.
