Let customers speak for us
The Fino is very very nice
Bought the New Yorker 12 years ago - have worn it death. Spoke to Oska and decided on the Fino New Yorker - it is the most gorgeous hat ever! Thanks
Aiden Cowl
The Fino New Yorker
Delivered as promised. Fits perfectly. Great communication as well.
Stephen Hawkins
Feather Flourish
This is the beautiful hat I’ve been looking for
I had been doing a lot of research to find this exact hat. The Australian is not your traditional Panama hat, However, it is a true Ecuadorian hand made hat, the style fits me well, and it’s exactly what I was looking for.
I contacted Truffaux with questions and the responses were such that I felt I couldn’t go wrong ordering from this business. They pride themselves in making sure you get the correct fit, tell you what to expect, and make sure your hat stays looking good for a long time.
The box this hat was sent in was sturdy and protected it well, however, because the brim of the hat is arched, the way it laid in the box it flattened the brim and messed up the overall appearance. I believe it will straighten out but I’ll need to work with it to make sure of that.
I would have loved to have this hat in a finer weave but Truffaux assured me this weave is best for this hat.
I’m looking for to wearing this hat for a long time.
Doug from Oregon
The Australian
Top quality!
Top quality hat and very comfortable to wear! Super quick delivery half way across the world.
MP
The Coco Beach Hat
Fine Product, Outstanding Service
The hat is beautiful; well made, well styled, looks great on me. I'm very happy that I found Truffaux.
Oska was super helpful, too, in ensuring that I received the hat in good nick. I live in rural Mexico and some standard shipping methods don't work for me. After explaining this to Oska, he was more than helpful, working with me to find a method that ensured I received the parcel. Do take Oska's sizing advice. While his recommendation was for a size larger than what I normally would wear, I didn't regret taking the advice. The hat fits really well. Thanks again to Oska for your help.
Many thanks to Oska.
Bruce Cane
The Casablanca Fedora
A fabulous hat
Oska was great at suggesting hats for me from photos I sent and ultimately I chose the Golden Traveller. More emails went back and forth over sizing and then a very well packed hat travelled halfway round the world to me, arriving completely unscathed by it's trip. I'm delighted with it and with the service I received from Truffaux and would recommend them to anyone looking for a new hat.
J.P.
The Golden Traveller
Great hat
It is really a great hat. After consulting Oska what might fit me well, I decided to go along with his recommendation and it does fit perfectly. Just a handsome great hat. Thanks alot Oska.
Martin Hoffmann
The Golden Casablanca Fino
Do yourself a favour!
The New Yorker is a gorgeous and fantastic hat, don't hesitate! It makes you feel fabulous but its not too posh. It cools your head down, is very confortable to wear, the straw absorbs the sweat. Perfect!
The great interaction with Oksa helped the decission, shipping (around the world) was no problem, the hat arrived in perfect condition. I am very happy!
Christian Walt
The New Yorker
Great Hat, Happy Customer
Handsome hat in just the right size and light as a feather. It arrived halfway across the globe quickly and well packed. Good experience all around.
Tom Pearson
The New Yorker
Best place to get a hat, world-wide.
I got the best Panama hat I have ever had from Truffaux. It exceeds my high expectations. And that is not the only reason I am writing this review. I am pretty fussy, and what I truly appreciated was Oska Truffaux's obvious personal concern that it be the right hat in the right size for me. I picked Truffaux because their web site is impressive about hat making and sizing. And I was right!!
GEORGE BERAKA
The King Panama
Cool in every sense of the word!
Oksa was very helpful in answering my questions about selecting a panama and sizing. I went with the Cuban at his recommendation and man, it is an amazing hat! It suits my head shape perfectly, I've received lots of compliments on it, but most importantly, it is very light and cools my head astonishingly well. Just the slightest breeze and I've got instant a/c. Thanks Oksa!
Randall Benichak
The Cuban
The Perfect Travel Hat.
I love a panama hat, and have many I rotate through, but don't like travelling with them because they get bent out of shape so easily.
A YouTube search on how to travel with hats led me to Oska's shop and my purchase of The Traveller, which arrived just in time for a 2 week trip to Japan and France.
The hat looks great, fits well (thanks to Oska's email assistance) and handles the rigours of travel better than I thought it would, springing back to shape from all manner of mis-treatment.
Great value for the price, I thoroughly recommend Oska and his hats, especially The Traveller.
Nicholas Hand
The Traveller
Fantastic Hat- Supreme Service
The buying process was unbelievable. Placed an order and rapidly received a personal response asking if I had ordered the correct size. Sent in my measurements and it turned out I needed a size larger than what I had ordered. Who knew that hats shrink!
A week or so later the hat was in my hands. Quick considering that it had to make it from Australia to the United States. Tried it on, too big! My wife handed me an envelope which contained foam shims. Three of these and a perfect fit which will allow for shrinkage (hat, not my brain).
Wore it today for the first time other than trying it on. Hardly noticed it was there. Super comfortable. Looks good too!
If you want a piece of garbage with no customer service I guess there is Amazon.
If you want a great hat that will fit, you are in the right place!
Rollie Herman
The Traveller
Incredible!
Just arrived - absolutely amazing hat! And, I can’t say enough about how helpful Oska was in finding me the right hat, and his customer service is extraordinary. I’ll be buying more.
Jason Branciforte
The Cuban
GET THE RIGHT HAT FIRST TIME
Skip the stress of wondering if it will look great, fit right and arrive safely. With 20 years of global shipping experience, I’ve mastered the art of pairing the perfect style and size, then delivering it to your door in pristine condition.
No one does it better, and tens of thousands of satisfied customers attest to my unmatched personal expertise.
How to Stretch a Panama Hat
It is very common for people to walk into our stores, wearing a Panama hat that is obviously too small. It sits perched on their head, way above their ears and it keeps falling off. When they purchased their hat, it fitted exactly right, and after a while, it shrank and became useless, like shoes too small.
Whenever we ship a hat, we always allow for shrinkage so that this can never occur. However, if you have purchased the wrong size from elsewhere, then you can still work it out.
There are several reasons that your hat will shrink :
1. You leave it in your car, and it gets baked into a smaller size - the sun literally cooks it.
2. You get it wet and dry it too quickly (leaving it in the sun or using a heater) rather than drying it on your head.
3. Sweat Absorption; When you wear a Panama, it absorbs all of the sweat on your head, wicking it to the outside of the hat, and through evaporation cooling your head. It is one of the reasons Panamas are so damn good. Not only is your head cooler, but you don't get sweat running down your neck or face. The side effect of this is that every time you wear it, it has to dry out, and it shrinks a tiny amount each time.
4. You bought the wrong sized hat.
5. Your hair has grown, thus making your head bigger.
6. You have a leather inner sweatband, and this always shrinks over time and becomes rigid.
What can you do about a Panama hat that has become too small?
There are several options, depending on the degree of stretching that is required:
1. Take it to a hatmaker and have them stretch your hat. Ideally, they overstretch it by 2cm and put some stiffener in, to help hold the larger shape. After it has been stretched it will shrink back a little, so overstretching is very important with a Panama. The hat holds a memory of its shrunken shape and will return to it unless you firmly disagree.
2. Stretch it yourself. There is a huge range of hat stretchers designed for this purpose. From electric stretchers, down to the simple Hat-Jack which you insert inside the crown, and wind out to the desired size. It is vitally important that the hat is warm and moist before you try to stretch it or you will crack it. Here is how to steam a Panama hat. If you have a big head, this is an essential tool to own.
3. Take out the Sweatband. This is probably the simplest solution to the problem and requires nothing more than a blade or scissors. If you remove the inner sweatband, it increases the size by 1-2cm, which is often more than enough. Simply cut the threads holding the sweatband in, and pull it out. It is not uncomfortable without it, but it may slip off your head more easily in the wind.
4. Lengthen the Hatband. The band on the outside of your hat acts as a belt to keep the hat snug. Old cowboy hats used real belts, in order to adjust the size when riding. If this band is too tight for your head, you can remove one end of the band, and make it a little larger. It requires some basic sewing skills but can make a big difference. You can then warm up your hat and pull it down on your head to stretch it. Note: if the band on your shrunken hat is floppy, then there is no point in doing this.
5. Stretch it over your knee. Now, this is more of a desperate solution, but I have done it many times, especially on holidays. It is important that your hat is warm and moist from wearing & sweating in it. Place your hands inside the hat and place the other end over your knee and pull hard. I am a big man, and I can pull with all my might, and it usually gives me just enough room. If your hat has cracks, holes or tears, do not do this. Take it slowly and keep building the pressure.
How much can I stretch my Panama hat? Realistically, with the right tools and some patience, you can stretch it by around 2-3 sizes. If you are stretching out a vintage hat, you will need to be careful as it will be more brittle. Sometimes you will need to replace the sweatband, and often you will lengthen the hatband. Depending on the shape of the crown, over-stretching it can make your hat look a bit weird, because the middle of the crown stretches, but not the top. After you stretch it, give it a light steam and straighten things out again.
Why do large-sized Panama hats shrink? When a Panama hat is made, the unfinished hat (or hood) is steamed until it is like wet paper. It is then pulled over a mould and blocked into shape. Usually all these hoods are the same size. That means every hat size, is made from the same sized hood. So the bigger your head is, the more it has been stretched and the more likely it is to shrink back. Ironically, people with big heads, are cursed by hats that shrink more. Just to have a gloat, we now have a range of size 65/XXXL hats in the King - it makes some people very very happy.
If this is all too confusing, then send me an email with a picture of your hat on your head. Every Panama hat is by nature, different. Different weaves and grades will shrink in different ways. The most popular Brisa weave, is more likely to shrink than any other, because of the loose airiness of its weave. Very high-quality finos like a Montichristi barely shrink at all.
I hope this guide has given you a chance to revive an old hat. Recycling hats is good for the world, and well-worn hats are very beautiful things. They tell the story of all the adventures you have been on together.
How to shape the brim on your Panama
How to fix a broken Panama
What to do if your Panama gets wet?
How to steam a Panama hat?
Love
Truffaux