MEGAVI HATS

Hats, like shoes or purses, cannot be just made out of cheap materials or poor stitches. A hat is your signature, your trademark, and deserves to be made by a pair of experts hands.

We are proud to say that, to this day, hat production in my town remains a mostly artisanal process. While machinery is employed in some steps, the skilled hands of the people of San Francisco, called San Pancho for short, are still a crucial part of the operation.

Therefore, to honor my family and friends back home, and to continue with this artistic tradition of elegance and style, I decided to bring those unique hats to you. One unique and special model at a time, from my trips back home to your hands.

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“I had never viewed the hat as a mere product- Gabriela Estrada, Megavi“

San Francisco Del Rincon, MX

History

La Capital de el Sombrero is called San Francisco del Rincon and it’s located in the state of Guanajuato. It is just a short 30 minute drive from the Leon Guanajuato International Airport. (It’s situated 23 miles South West of Leon Guanajuato on highway 37)

Sombreros are sometimes made out of straw but in San Francisco they are made out of palma. The Palma was originally brought in from Michoacan but is now readily available in the area due to its cultivation there.

It’s said that the sombrero tradition in San Francisco del Rincon originated circa 1766. Two of the first sombrereros(straw hat makers) Joaquin Leon and the soon to be first indigenous Governor, Juan Isodoro de los Dolores.

As any trade, it was passed down from generation to generation. Soon, entire families and communities set up shop as local sombrero artisans. Their goods were sold throughout the region and go as far as Jalisco, Aguascalientes and Zacatecas.

In 1987 there were over 60(5-30 employee) small local sombrero factories that fashioned over 30 thousand sombreros a year. However, they’ve now consolidated to just 4 factories and only some remain family owned and operated.

It’s important to note that an entire new industry — the shoe industry — is slowly taking the place of the sombrero making. Now, instead of working with palma they mostly work with imported plastic and canvas from China, Taiwan and Japan. The demand for these goods in the US and around the world is transforming local artisans from traditional sombrero makers to mainstream shoe manufacturers.

Yet still, San Francisco del Rincon maintains its sombrero tradition and still known as la Capital Mundial del Sombrero.