About Marchesi di Montecristi
About Marchesi di Montecristi
At the heart of Marchesi di Montecristi lies a unique bridge between two extraordinary worlds: eight centuries of European nobility and the world’s most refined hand-weaving tradition.
Our Heritage: Where Noble History Meets Living Art
As featured on our homepage, the majestic Castello dei Marchesi Incisa di Camerana in Sale San Giovanni, Piedmont, stands as the symbol of our house. Tracing back over 800 years to the historic Aleramic dynasty, the Incisa di Camerana name is synonymous with Italian heritage, cultural distinction, and an unyielding commitment to perfection.
The name Marchesi di Montecristi reflects this exact dual identity, combining Marchesi (the Italian noble title of the founders) with Montecristi, the Ecuadorian city famed for producing the world’s most exquisite hats.
Britain’s Foremost Specialist in Genuine Panama Hats
Marchesi di Montecristi is a British luxury house devoted entirely to authentic Panama hats, hand-woven in Ecuador from 100% toquilla straw using UNESCO-recognized techniques unchanged for centuries.
Our founders
Guglielmo and María José Incisa di Camerana, unite an ancestral European heritage with a half-century Ecuadorian artisan legacy dating back to 1978.
- Guglielmo Incisa di Camerana carries forward his family's historic roots, instilling an innate appreciation for architectural grandeur, European history, and understated luxury into the brand's foundation.
- María José Incisa di Camerana, Creative Director and master designer, blends her Ecuadorian heritage and European design training to transform centuries-old weaving into contemporary haute millinery.
From our base in United Kingdom, we operate the most extensive specialist range of genuine Panama and Montecristi-grade hats available for both men and women.
The Art & Integrity of the Craft
Despite their iconic misnomer-coined when hats were shipped through the Panama Canal in the early 20th century, genuine Panama hats have always belonged to Ecuador.
Every single fiber of Carludovica palmata (toquilla straw) is harvested, boiled, dried, and split by hand before master weavers build the hat row by row. No machinery is ever used.
At the pinnacle is the Montecristi Hat, handwoven in Ecuador by a dwindling circle of master artisans. The finest examples exceed 2,500 puntos per square inch and can take a year or more to complete. Worn by Churchill, Roosevelt, and royalty, these are heirlooms of extraordinary craftsmanship and rarity, luxury recognised not by display, but by those who know.
"We do not simply craft headwear; we preserve living history, weaving century-old heritage into pieces of wearable art."
Why grade matters, and why most brands don't talk about it
Most Panama hats in the UK market originate from volume workshops producing standard traveller grades. While genuine, they represent only the beginning of what this craft can achieve. A £150 hat and a £3,500 hat are both genuinely handwoven in Ecuador; the distinction lies in weave density, decades of master skill, and hundreds of human hours.
Marchesi di Montecristi exists to make that distinction transparent. We offer direct provenance, weave-count clarity, and expert guidance for every occasion:
- Traveller Grade: Flexible, rollable, and resilient; designed for summer travel.
- Standard & Fino Grades: Refined handles and finer weaves, perfect for Royal Ascot, Goodwood, Glyndebourne, Wimbledon, Henley Regatta, and summer weddings.
- Superfino, Extrafino, Ultrafino & Museum Quality Grades: The absolute pinnacle of the craft, acquired to last a lifetime.
- Montecristi Originals: Direct creations from named master artisans with documented provenance.
Whether you seek a timeless fedora, plantation, or wide-brim shape for men, or a structured, asymmetric silhouette for women, every piece from Montecristi is built to outlast fast fashion and gracefully improve with age.
For men and women
The Panama hat is one of the few accessories that belongs equally to both. Our collection reflects this. We stock fedora, gambler, plantation, and wide-brim styles for men; and an expanding range of women's shapes including structured wide brims, asymmetric styles, and the classic short-brim fedora, each available across multiple grades.
Every woman who wears a genuine Panama hat from Montecristi wears something that took weeks or months to make, that will outlast almost any other accessory she owns, and that improves with age. There is no fast fashion equivalent.
British Fashion Council members
Marchesi di Montecristi is a member of the British Fashion Council, the industry body that represents and promotes the British fashion industry internationally. BFC membership recognises brands that meet a standard of creative integrity, commercial seriousness, and contribution to the UK fashion landscape.
Contact and collection
Our full collection is available online at montecristi.co.uk, with secure UK and international delivery.
For bespoke orders, gifting enquiries, or trade accounts, please contact us at hello@montecristi.co.uk & wholesale@montecristi.co.uk
Marchesi di Montecristi
London, United Kingdom
British Fashion Council member
montecristi.co.uk