El Paseo Straw Cowboy Hat

A cowboy hat made from straw seems to have correctly identified the problem with summer.

Minga’s El Paseo is woven by hand from Ecuadorian Paja Toquilla, then shaped and pressed into a classic Western silhouette with a curved four-inch brim. A vegetable-tanned leather chinstrap finishes the whole thing without asking the natural straw to become any more complicated than it needs to be. The weaving is done by women artisans near Cuenca, Ecuador, before each hat is individually shaped and finished by hand. The process leaves behind subtle variations in weave, color, and form, which is generally what happens when objects are made one at a time instead of several thousand at once.

The Details

• 100% Ecuadorian Paja Toquilla
• Natural straw
• 4" curved brim
• Vegetable-tanned leather chinstrap
• Adjustable elastic inner band
• Woven, shaped + pressed by hand
• Handmade variations are to be expected
• Handmade in Ecuador
• Made by Minga
• Sizing
  • S: 55 cm / 21.75"
  • M: 57 cm / 22.5"
  • L: 59 cm / 23.25"
  • XL: 61 cm / 24"
  • Minga recommends sizing up if you're between sizes.

About the Brand:  Minga

Making a hat by hand is the sort of skill that becomes considerably more impressive once you realize somebody had to teach you how. Minga works with multigenerational artisan families in Ecuador, pairing traditional hat-making, weaving, leatherwork, and other inherited craft techniques with contemporary design. The result keeps old skills doing something particularly useful:  making things people still want to wear.