A one time availability!
(while stocks lasts)
Made from a rare plant!
(may be on extinction watch)




Background On Sabutan, the material
This fashionable hat is made from a rare plant in the Philippines.  Found only in the wild, in the forests of the Sierra Madre mountains in Aurora, sabutan is highly priced in the world of high fashion.  Weaving of sabutan strips into mats and hats has been a skill handed down through generations and become a steady source of income among rural women in Aurora, Philippines.

The two-meter-long sabutan leaves are soft and shiny, turning green just before harvest. They are stripped into fibers that are very fine and smooth but strong in texture.  Bright, eye-catching colorfast dyes give the more sophisticated finish to stylish fashion products.   Processing is hard work and manual: cutting the leaves, trimming thorny edges, stripping, sorting, drying and flattening. In the 1950s, practically every home in Aurora had a sabutan weaver. Today there are some 10,000 weavers left, most of them peasant women.

Being rare makes it very expensive. So much so that it is over harvested and what's left of the sabutan stands could be gone in a few short years unless something is done to arrest its depletion.  Once abundant in the wild, even between rows of coconut trees, the fiber was so highly in demand that over-harvesting has left less than 50 hectares of sabutan stands in mountain slopes, mostly in San Luis and Baler towns. Coffee and citrus plantations also took over sabutan lands.  It is threatened with extinction.


The Hat
It is perfert for hot days and vacation wear.  It protects your face from the sun, keeping your skin cool and preventing premature aging.

It is woven with in a flat dented crown design, and ringed with a contrasting ribbon band; fashionable elements which will stand the test of time. 


Specifications
Item Type: Fedora / Panama / Beach
Colours: Brown / Beige
Gender: Male / Female / Unisex
Department Name: Adult
Material: Sabutan
Pattern Type: Solid
Crown: Flat / Pinch /
Style: Fashion / Casual /
Hat Diameter: 17cm / 6.5in
Brim Width: 7cm / 2.75in
Hat Circumference: 32cm / 12in
Hat Height: 13.5cm / 5.5in
Weight: Approx 105gm / 3.7oz

Note:
The hat size is just for reference only. 

Colour of items displayed in the photos may be slightly different in the physical due to differences in resolution and lighting when the photos were taken.  There may be slight differences to the true color of the products posted as monitors are not calibrated similarly.