The MonteCristi Bespoke store on Hang Bong Street, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi is currently selling handmade knit hats from the Montecristi region, Ecuador commonly known as Panama hats. Such a hat starts at 14 million VND, while the most expensive one in the world costs up to 3.5 billion VND.

Mr. Tran Hai Dong, the owner of the shop, who is known for his passion for classic cars and classic fashion, introduced this special hat in Schannel’s “Go Somewhere” program recently.

Panama sedge hat originates from Ecuador. Accordingly, the material to make this hat is made from Paja Toquilla sedge – a plant that grows in only one place in the world, Ecuador. The production of Panama hats began as a cottage industry on the coast of Ecuador in the 1600s with the best hats being made in the province of Manabi.

By the 17th and 18th centuries, straw hats began to become popular. Therefore, Ecuadorian artisans decided to take them further. They went to Panama to take advantage of the sea routes. Accordingly, all hats are exported through the Panama Canal. From then on, the hat was called the Panama sedge hat.

By 1906, the name Panama sedge hat became popular around the world when a photo of US President Theodore Roosevelt wearing this hat while overseeing the construction of the Panama Canal appeared in the New York Times.Mr. Dong introduced a few ordinary Panama hats in the store, which have 11-12 stitches per inch. Mr. Dong said the more knots per inch, the smoother the surface of the hat looks.

The Panama hat is knit in a herringbone pattern from carefully prepared thread-like toquilla sedges. The artisan begins to separate the sedge yarn into four identical pairs that form the cruzado – the criss-cross threads – which is how every Panama hat is made. The smaller the knot, the softer and tougher the hat.The world’s most expensive hat is preserved by Mr. Dong in a yellow leather suitcase, accompanied by a certificate. According to Mr. Dong, only one artist in the world can knit this hat, named Simon Espinal, who currently holds the world record for knitting hats and from 2011 to now, there have only been 2 super hats. expensive created.

The hat is priced at the same price as an apartment in Hanoi, is cream colored like silk, has 59 knits per inch, is as smooth as fabric and cannot be seen by the naked eye. This unique hat has a high price tag because it is completely handcrafted over a long period of time with great concentration. Even under the hands of skilled and experienced artisans, its production is still very difficult due to the high risk ratio. The sedge yarn material for this special hat is very small and thin, with just a little careless hand movement, a bit strong, the broken yarn may have to be knitted again.

“When you’re weaving such fine sedge, you can’t let your mind wander for even a second. When you’re weaving, there’s nothing in the world but weaving and yarn,” said Simon Espinal, creator of the Panama hat. told Nytimes.