Growing up in Guanajuato, México, I soon understood the value of a great hat. Guanajuato is the cradle of the hat making or millenary, and its shops and warehouses smell of leather, glue and fabrics. I remember, as a young girl, walking through the little plazas and seeing our elders stitching, and threading those perfect pieces of art. For us, owning a hat made you officially a grown up. Hats gave the Don in Don Pedro or Don Alejandro, and hats gave the ladies the perfect mystery and romantic look to go horseback riding or just to a simple walk around the plaza.
My little town, San Francisco del Rincón is named as the hat-making capital of the world. This ancient tradition started 180 years ago, Only last year, my people in San Francisco, exported 1.6 million of hats that are sold all over the United States, Europe, and even Australia. From cowboys in Texas to elegant fashionistas in the streets of London, they all have learned about quality and style, and what it means to own an authentic handmade hat.
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.
From a simple and useful palm hat that costs just a few dollars to our amazing rabbit fur fedoras that can take long days to finish and reach hundreds of dollars, MEGAVI Hats offers you the best designs and best materials.
Once you buy your first MEGAVI Hat you will start a new tradition in your closet and in your looks. With MEGAVI, You will learn about the basics of owning and proudly wearing one or many of our pieces that never go out of trend.
A hat is like jewelry, and here in our site, we will teach you how to recognize a good hat, how to name the different styles and become an authentic hat lover and hat collector, like my family and I.
“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.
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