The final section of our page explaining how a Panama hat is made is complete! This section deals with how the shape is given to the hat - a process known as blocking. It also touches on the finishing of the hat with an internal sweatband and the external ribbon. You can read it by clicking here.
Here at Borges & Scott we generally stick to traditional colours of black or brown for the external ribbon.
The black band is often said to have initially found favour as a mark of respect following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901. Whilst there is certainly a large element of truth in that statement, black bands were already a popular option - for example pictures around the time of Eloy Alfaro, an Ecuadorean liberal who was involved with the Ecuadorean revolution and ultimately led the rebels to success in 1895, often show black bands being worn. The brown band, is a more modern twist and really complements the natural shade of some of our hats.
We can also add bespoke ribbons as required by customers. In the past we have done this for sports teams, colleges, military colors and special events.