Customise Your Panama Hat at This Singapore Store

Hat Of Cain is a charming Joo Chiat hat salon that stocks genuine Panama hats in a wide variety of colours and styles. 

 

What: Panama hat expert Bill Cain’s (above) three-year-old company. The Singapore-based Canadian sources for designs directly from Ecuador, the birthplace of the panama hat, and retails them at his Katong shophouse boutique (18 Joo Chiat Terrace, hp: 8671-4908, open Saturdays 11am-5pm, and by appointment on weekdays).

USP: Head here for luxurious, 100 per cent genuine panama hats (from $190), which essentially means any brimmed style (fedora, boater, trilby) handwoven from toquilla fibre, the finest of straw used in hats. Every piece involves at least 10 Ecuadorian craftsmen – from the dyeing to the shaping – and has a little bud in the centre of the crown – the point where the weaving starts – an indication of its authenticity. Apart from the wide variety in store, there’s also a make-your-own service where one can customise everything from the band to the brim width.

Fun fact: The hat originated in Equador but is called the Panama because it was largely brought there to be sold, as Equador just didn't have a lot of tourists in the mid 1800s.

An extended version of this story appeared in Female's April issue, out on newsstands now.