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Cultural Icons and their Panama Hats (Part IIII)
GREGORY PECK
One of the most popular movie stars of the 1940s - 60s, Peck is perhaps best known for his Oscar winning portrayal of single father and crusader for justice, Atticus Finch, in the 1962 movie adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning novel To Kill A Mocking Bird. Atticus Finch has since been voted in at No. 7 in the 100 greatest fictional characters of all time.
Peck, like Atticus Finch, was a long-term activist against war, and racism, honoured in 1969 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his lifetime humanitarian efforts. So, not just a brilliant actor, but a genuinely nice guy too! They were both also iconic hat wearers, Atticus preferring a light weight Fedora (keeping a cool head in the Alabama heat), and Peck, a classic Panama hat in the colonial style.
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Style: The epitome of tall, dark and handsome. Tough, understated and unassuming.
He says: “Tough times don’t last, tough people do, remember?”
We say: Look cool as a cucumber this summer in our Borges & Scott Colonial Panama Hat. |
Whichever of our Panama Icons you most identify with, remember: wearing a Panama hat is a great way to get ahead when you’re aiming for standout style.
Andy Demonstrates Barbecue Chic...
Andy here teaches us all how to look cool, calm and effortlessly sophisticated whilst performing one of the most demanding tasks any of us may face over the summer months - being given full responsibility for the party barbecue!
Alfresco dining may be idyllic for your guests, but for the elected grill master, flipping those burgers and grilling those halloumi skewers to perfection can be a tall order. Andy however seems completely unfazed by the task in hand, he makes it look easy - top tip for any of you aspiring barbecuers out there, don a timeless Panama hat and you will not only look chic and cocktail-ready, but no one will notice your twitching temple as you calculate the optimum time to flip those burgers!
Andy is wearing our Borges and Scott Signature Fedora (Natural Classic), proving that the versatile Panama is perfect for any occasion. Bravo Andy!
If you're thinking of lighting up the Barbecue this weekend, here are a couple of tasty Brazilian inspired recipes to get you in the Olympic spirit: Frango Churrasco (grilled lemon and garlic Chicken), and how about trying this smoky tomato pepper salsa as an accompaniment. Enjoy!
Devastating Earthquake in Ecuador
As many of you will have heard, Ecuador suffered its most devastating earthquake in 40 years over the weekend. The 7.8-magnitude quake earthquake struck on April 16th, with ongoing tremors, including a 6.1-magnitude aftershock recorded on Tuesday night.
The Manabí Province of Ecuador, including the city of Manta, the birthplace of the Panama hat, was hit particularly hard, with officials reporting more than 100 deaths and at least 370 buildings destroyed. The Panama industry is a major contributor to the local economy. Borges & Scott know the region well and were most upset to hear about the damage caused. We've been in touch with our hat makers - fortunately they have generally been lucky and not injured. However, homes and friends have been lost.
Earthquake survivors in Manta, Ecuador in line for food and water
Obviously the immediate concern is that basic needs such as food and shelter are met. Longer-term the Panama hat industry will be an important player in rebuilding the region and the lives of those affected and we look forward to being a part of this.
Aid agencies are stepping up help for Ecuador amid concerns over the conditions faced by survivors. Thousands of people are left homeless, making them vulnerable to dirty drinking water and disease. If you would like to help, please join us in making a donation by visiting Oxfam's site here:
Thank you.
Luxury is a relative concept
Here at Borges & Scott we are, of course, passionate about our hats, but we know there are more pressing concerns for huge numbers of people around the globe.
The comfort of a place to call home, the safety of the same bed to sleep in every night, enough food to eat and a good education should not be luxury items, but sadly this is the case in some of the countries where we have trading partners.
We feel we have a responsibility, both as a business and as decent people, to provide support to the communities we work with. As a minimum we give 5% of our profits to charities every year. The main causes we love and support on a regular basis are:
Alalay
Alalay provides a loving home and opportunities to street children in Bolivia. As well as providing comfort, support and basic healthcare, Alalay’s mission is to help these children to help themselves by providing education and skills development, and establishing and monitoring practical production projects which will become self-financing and teach new skills to the children.
Many Hopes
Many Hopes has a vision to change Kenya by raising a generation of children who will lead with justice and kindness, and in doing so eradicate the causes of extreme poverty. The story of how the charity was founded is a powerful one, and well-worth reading:
http://www.manyhopes.org/story.php
Compassion
Compassion International works in many countries providing hope and love to many children, giving them them an opportunity to escape poverty and live life to the full. We love what they are doing in Ecuador, the home of the Panama hat!
https://www.compassionuk.org/ecuador/
“Poverty is the worst form of violence.” - Mahatma Gandhi
Borges & Scott win South West Fairtrade Business Award!
We are delighted to announce that Borges & Scott have won a Silver Award in the Retail category of the South West Fairtrade Business Awards 2016! The South West Fairtrade Business Awards recognise and celebrate those businesses in the region that use and promote Fairtrade products.
The results were announced at a ceremony on Friday 11th March at the @Bristol Science Centre, and our Director, David Scott, was presented with the award by ethical beauty and wellbeing expert, Liz Earle MBE.
We at Borges & Scott are thrilled to be recognised for our commitment to conducting our business in an ethical and compassionate manner. We have built long-term relationships with our producers and their communities in Ecuador; our workers are are paid a fair wage and we pay fair prices for our raw materials. Usually long term contracts are involved which then enable the community to plan ahead, confident that a fair, fixed price will be paid.
Businesses that use and sell Fairtrade products make a significant contribution to reducing poverty in developing countries and helping achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Fairtrade also enables businesses to achieve the transparency in supply chains demanded by the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Borges & Scott are proud to be a member of BAFTS (British Association of Fair Trade Suppliers) www.bristolfairtrade.org.uk
(Photo courtesy of Jon Craig Photography)
More than just Fedoras; the different styles of Panama hats
People typically think of a Panama hat as a the classic white fedora style hat with a black band. However, as long as the hat is woven in Ecuador using the traditional materials, methods and techniques,then it is a Panama hat regardless of it's shape or colour.
Allow Borges & Scott to take you on a voyage of discovery to find your perfect style, shape and colour of Panama hat!
Style |
Description |
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Fedora |
The “Classic Panama”, with a mid-width brim and indented crown. Typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides. The typical crown height is 11 cm. The brim is usually approximately 6.4 cm wide. |
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Folder |
Also known as the Colonial, Optimo or Natural. Has a single ridge along the centre of the crown which lends itself well to rolling up. Our most popular shape for regular travellers. |
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Dumont |
Also known as the Planter or Gambler, it has a vintage, 1930s aesthetic. The brim, rather than flipping down, remains constant all the way around. Please note this style is not suited to rolling. |
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Teardrop Fedora |
This adaptation of the classic Fedora has a slightly wider, teardrop shape crown, making the crown slightly lower than our classic Fedora, resulting in a closer fit. It has a turned up brim at the rear, that comes down slightly at the front. Please note this style is not ideal for rolling and will lose a little of its shape if rolled. |
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Trilby |
A narrow-brimmed hat; which would normally be angled down at the front and turned up at the back. It also has a slightly shorter crown than our Fedora. Borges & Scott Trilbies have a "flip brim", and so can be worn with the whole of the brim turned up, or with the front turned down. Please note this style is not suited to rolling. |
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Heart (Ladies) |
An extra wide-brimmed sun hat with a scalloped indentation at the back of the brim to produce the heart-shape. Finished with a pretty ribbon bow. Please note it is not suited to rolling. |
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Wide-brim Sun Hat (Ladies) |
An extra wide-brimmed sun hat with smooth lines. Can be finished with a black band and bow. |
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Wear a Hat Day - Thursday 24th March 2016
Tilt your brim to a rakish angle and sport your favourite outfit-topper with pride on Thursday 24th; it's Wear a Hat Day!
Brain Tumour Research have teamed up with some of the UK's top milliners to increase awareness and raise funds to support long-term, life-saving research.
www.braintumourresearch.org/wearahatday
A good reason, if one were needed, to give your Borges & Scott Panama an outing!
A gift to our customers!
Here at Borges & Scott we have been wondering how we could possibly improve our service to our wonderful customers. Frankly, our range of Panama hats are superlative quality so we couldn’t really improve those, and we like to think that our customer service is also first class, so what else could we offer as a cheering gift in these cold winter months of 2016?...
How about FREE standard UK delivery on all orders, regardless of order value?
Yes, that will do nicely.
(Don’t worry, if your hat is destined for distant lands, our overseas delivery charges are very reasonable)
Borges & Scott: South West Fairtrade Business Awards 2016 Finalist!
We are delighted to announce that Borges & Scott are finalists in the Retail category of the South West Fairtrade Business Awards 2016! The South West Fairtrade Business Awards recognise and celebrate those businesses in the region that use and promote Fairtrade.
At Borges & Scott we take every step we can to ensure that our Panama hats are made in accordance with high ethical standards, and have built long-term relationships with our producers and their communities in Ecuador. We are proud to be a member of BAFTS (British Association of Fair Trade Suppliers) and work hard to ensure that our hats are made under “fair trade” conditions.
Borges & Scott Fedora now available in generous sizes!
“For your information, Jeeves takes a size-fourteen hat, eats tons of fish and moves in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform…”
'Bertie Wooster' - Right Ho Jeeves
(PJ Wodehouse)
The average English gentleman’s hat size is 7⅛ or 58 centimetres. However, if you, like Jeeves, need to house a considerable amount of grey matter, Borges & Scott is here to help! To ensure that the larger-headed gentleman is outfitted to a dapper standard that both Jeeves and Wooster would approve of, we now stock our Borges & Scott Fedora in 63cm and 64cm sizes.
At present Borges & Scott have no plans to stock size 14 hats. Apologies to Jeeves.
Our guide to selecting the right size Panama Hat
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