Panama hat more hats than they ever could in Ecuador. The hats were sold to gold prospectors traveling through Panama to California during the historic Californian Gold Rush. Travelers would tell people admiring their hats that they bought them in Panama. So, the hats quickly became known as “Panama hats.” Soon after at the 1855 World's Fair in Paris, Panama hats were featured for the first time on a global scale. However, the Fair’s catalog did not mention Ecuador as its country of origin. It listed this type of hat as a “cloth hat” even though it was clearly not made out
Panama hat (now Taiwan) to directly compete with the Panama in the early 20th century. Tamsui hats were made from "Pandanus odoratissimus" fibre, which grew plentifully on the island. As they retained their whiteness, were washable, and could be folded and carried about without damage, Tamsui hats replaced the rather costlier Panama in East Asia in the early 20th century. The two main processes in the creation of a Panama hat are weaving and blocking. The two most common types of weaves are the "Cuenca" and "Brisa." The "Cuenca" weave has the appearance of a herringbone pattern and utilizes slightly more straw