About Marchesi di Montecristi
About Marchesi di Montecristi
Britain's foremost specialist in genuine Panama hats
Marchesi di Montecristi is a British luxury brand devoted entirely to authentic Panama hats handwoven in Ecuador from 100% toquilla straw by master artisans using methods that have remained unchanged for centuries. We are based in England and are proud members of the British Fashion Council.
Our collection spans the full spectrum of the craft: from beautifully woven everyday grades suited to Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, the Chelsea Flower Show, Henley Regatta, Glyndebourne, and a well-dressed summer, to the ultra-fine Montecristi superfino, the rarest and most refined hat in the world, produced in limited quantities by a dwindling community of master weavers in coastal Ecuador.
We operate the widest specialist range of genuine Panama and Montecristi-grade hats available in the United Kingdom, for both men and women.
The art of the genuine Panama hat
Despite their name, Panama hats have always been made in Ecuador. The confusion dates to the early twentieth century, when the hats were shipped through the Panama Canal en route to markets in Europe and North America, the transit point became the name, and it stuck.
The hat itself is woven entirely by hand from the fibres of Carludovica palmata, a palm-like plant known locally as toquilla, which grows in Ecuador's coastal and Andean regions. Each fibre is harvested, boiled, dried, and split by hand before weaving begins. No machinery is involved at any stage of production. A single weaver works from the centre of the crown outward, building the hat row by row, often in the cool of early morning when humidity helps the fibres remain pliable.
The finest grade, the Montecristi superfino, is woven exclusively in the village of Montecristi, Manabí province, Ecuador, by artisans who have inherited the technique across generations. A superfino is defined by a weave count of 2,500 or more puntos (weave points) per square inch, a standard achieved by perhaps a few dozen weavers still practising at the highest level. A single hat at this grade can take three to six months to complete.
This is the hat that Winston Churchill wore. That Teddy Roosevelt was photographed wearing at the Panama Canal. That has been presented to royalty, heads of state, and those who understand the difference between possession and purchase.
Why grade matters, and why most brands don't talk about it
The Panama hat market in the United Kingdom is largely undifferentiated. Most brands, including well-regarded names, source from larger Ecuadorian workshops producing traveller and standard grades: perfectly good hats, woven to a consistent standard, at a price that suits volume retail.
What is rarely discussed is that "genuine Panama hat" covers an enormous range. A £100 hat and a £2500 hat are both genuinely handwoven in Ecuador from toquilla straw. The difference is not materials fraud, it is the density of the weave, the years of skill behind it, and the number of hours a human being spent making it.
Marchesi di Montecristi exists to make that distinction legible. We provide weave grade information, artisan provenance where available, and honest guidance on what to expect at each price point. We do not sell anything we cannot stand behind.
Our collection includes:
- Traveller grade: rollable, resilient, ideal for travel and everyday summer wear
- Standard and fino grades: finer weave, more refined handle, appropriate for formal summer occasions
- Extrafino and superfino grades: the pinnacle of the craft, for those buying a hat they intend to keep for life
- Montecristi Originals: sourced directly from named artisans in Montecristi, with documented provenance
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 membership
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.
Our founders
Marchesi di Montecristi is a family owned independent business with nearly 50 years of heritage, rooted in Ecuador and Italy and founded in the United Kingdom by Guglielmo Incisa di Camerana and Maria José Incisa di Camerana, the brand's creative designer. The brand builds on a direct relationship with Ecuadorian master weavers that stretches back to 1978. Holding dual British and Italian nationality, the founders bring a distinctly European sensibility to the brand, with an appreciation that the finest things are made slowly, by hand, and are worth waiting for. Maria José leads the creative direction and oversees the finishing work, ensuring that every hat leaving Montecristi reflects the uncompromising standards on which the brand was built. Guided by optimism, independence, and a deep respect for craftsmanship, the family continues to preserve one of the world's finest artisanal traditions for future generations.
The name combines Montecristi, the Ecuadorian city synonymous with the world's finest Panama hats, with marchesi, the Italian word for marquesses, a reference to the founders' heritage and to the brand's unambiguously elevated position in the market.
Marchesi di Montecristi is based in London and Berkshire, England.
Why Montecristi, and not someone else
There is no shortage of places to buy a Panama hat in the UK. What is in short supply is genuine expertise, a producer who can tell you the difference between a 14-row and a 22-row weave, who sources directly from named artisans rather than anonymous factories, and who will sell you a superfino without pretending every hat in the shop is one.
We are that producer. We work directly with master weavers in Ecuador, inspect and select every hat ourselves, and stock the full range of grades because we believe different buyers have different needs, and that all of them deserve honest information and a hat that delivers on what they were promised.
If you are buying a hat for Royal Ascot, Goodwood, Glyndebourne, Wimbledon, the Chelsea Flower Show, Henley Regatta, or a wedding, we will help you find the right grade. If you are buying a hat to last a lifetime, we will tell you exactly what that requires. If you simply want a beautiful, authentic Panama hat for summer, we have those too.
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.
Marchesi di Montecristi
London, United Kingdom
British Fashion Council member
montecristi.co.uk