The Sophie Braided Straw hat is the centrepiece look. It has a 10cm wide free brim with 4cm contrast color grosgrain logo hatband. The production of Borsalino straw hats starts in Ecuador, where the local straw is harvested from the stalks of the toquilla palm tree, boiled and dried under the sun. Then Ecuadorian artisans weave it by hand, making extremely fine semi-finished cloches. After careful quality control, the cloches are sent to the Alessandria Maison. They are again inspected before initial shaping: a hydraulic pressure machine creates the shape and size of the hat. The operation is repeated to create the traditional Borsalino shape. The excess straw is trimmed and the edge of the brim is sewn. The hat is then stiffened and left to slowly dry. Then the inner leather band is sewn, followed by a final shaping with the hydraulic press. The ribbon is added and the brim is stiffened before the hat is ready for the final steps: embellishments, stitching, inspection and packaging - all completed by hand. This is the art of hatmaking. Style your Sophie Braided Straw hat with an off-shoulder top and cropped pants.
