Welligogs Hats*Raffia Hat

Our Rafiia Hats Are From Madagascar And Made From The Native Raffia Palm Tree That Grows In The Tropical Rainforests. The Tree Has A Short Trunk Which Is Used In House Building If The Entire Tree Needs To Be Cut Down. However The Branches Can Grow Up To 18M Long, So Are Often Cut Leaving The Tree To Continue Growing. Each Branch Is Made Of Roughly 100 Smaller Fronds And The Leaves Are Peeled Before Being Dried In The Sunshine. They Are Then Cut Into Thin Strips And Washed To Flatten The Strips Before Being Dyed In Large Pots Over Open Fires. The Raffia Is Then Laid Out In The Sunshine To Dry.

Weaving Is Done In Homes On A Hand Loom – Roughly 250G Of Raffia Is Used To Make A 180Cm X 62Cm Panel And Takes A Day To Weave. This Can Only Be Done During Daylight As None Of The Homes Have Electricity – Or Running Water. Panels Of Palm Are Woven Together To Make The Inside Of Each Basket And The Raffia Panels Are Then Sewn To Make Up The Baskets And Bags.

Some Are Made From Raffia Panels Which Are Woven By Handlooms And Then Cut Into Shapes Before Being Sewn Together.

• Head Circumference: Approx. 57Cm
• Handmade So Sizes Vary
• Comes With Wg Rose Gold Pin
• Brim Width: 11Cm
• Head Width: 18Cm
• More Sustainable Women’S Clothing
• They Can Cope With A Bit Of Light Rain/Damp And Need To Be Thoroughly Dried After But We Wouldn’T Trust Them In A Real Downpour As The Dye Would Run. The Colours Will Fade In Time.