Straw and raffia

Our tips

How to take care of straw and raffia?

It should be noted that straw and raffia are of natural origin. Also, they may have slight variations in color. To keep your hat or basket looking as good as new, it is recommended that you do not fold it and always lay it flat. For hats, handle them by pinching the crown. When not in use, lay them on a flat surface upside down on the crown.

To clean your headpiece or basket, wipe it with a cloth soaked in warm water and soap. But be careful not to get a straw accessory too wet, it may shrink!
The icing on the cake: our hats have a tightening band that allows you to adjust the size of the head.

Where do straw and raphia come from?

History and fabrication

An iconic straw-made hat: meet the panama

Originally a men's hat worn by workers in Ecuador, the panama later became a symbol of casual elegance. It crossed the ocean thanks to the Spaniards during the colonization and arrived in France for the Universal Exhibition of 1855. During the construction of the Panama Canal, the workers wore the famous straw hat to protect themselves from the sun. Panama being the commercial showcase of South America, our hat is renamed "the panama" (and this despite its origins in Ecuador!).

In the 20th century, it was democratized by an Italian company that would later make the country famous in this field. It is thus quite naturally that we entrusted to Italian milliners the manufacture of straw near Florence.

The little extra? Our hats are made of natural "seagrass" or palm fiber. This makes them authentic and elegant all summer long! This fiber is known for its hardness and its fineness. Lightweight, it allows you to protect yourself without getting too hot!

Our baskets, all made of palm fiber, are made with respect in the region of Fez, Morocco, by craftsmen working with basketry according to an ancestral know-how, of Berber origin. Most of them are woven from doum fibers, a small palm tree whose leaves are reputed to be rot-proof and are recycled in rural areas to make the baskets.
Our raffia baskets are woven in our workshops in Madagascar. Raffia is a fiber from a palm tree endemic to this immense island off the coast of Africa.
The work of braiding, whether it is for straw or raffia, is exclusively manual and requires time and patience. All the ornaments that we add afterwards are also embroidered by hand.