Ecua-Andino Hats Ecua-Andino Hats Ecua-Andino Hats is an Ecuadorian company founded in 1985 by Alejandro Lecaro and Édgar Sánchez. The brand is dedicated to the production and exportation of Panama hats. It is one of the most important companies producing finished Panama hats in Ecuador. In 1985, Édgar Sánchez and Alejandro Lecaro started to sell local crafts, initially to tourists on the beach, and then from a small shop in the center of Guayaquil, Ecuador. In 1994, they decided to change the product range and concentrated on hats only. In 2012, UNESCO declared that the art of weaving a Panama hat in
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