Sustainable artisanal technique in making raffia straw hat by Artisanal Fashion Co.
1/ What makes a beautiful raffia straw hats:
Quality of raffia straw: Leinné raffia is processed with our special technique in our own artisanal hat-making atelier to keep the air within the straw, making the braids lightweight, durable and can be shaped and ironed. (important to make a design lasts after voyage)
Weaving: Weaving the hat involves an exact number of points in each row and they have to be tightly woven to make a densely packed surface
Shaping by hands: First, we start from the initial form of the design by measuring the sample hat for estimation. Sophisticated details that require high refinement are entirely done by hand. What is special about these designs is that we have to mold and rotate when sewing at the same time until their entire silhouette is formed; then sense the design by hand to ensure their authentic feel, followed by the iron step for the final result.
Eyes for details: our people have an eye for details and aesthetics. The success of the product mostly comes from the skilled craftsmen. We invest our time and energy to create premium designs that are both beautiful and made to last
THE PROCESS
Straw Prep
Once the straw is selected, it undergoes a variety of steps like stripping, washing
Weaving
After being sent in bundles to the weavers, the straw is woven with different artisanal techniques, entirely by hand. After weaving, the entire braids are coated with a special liquid to be fungi-proof and water-resistant.
Shaping
When shaping, sophisticated details of the design that require high refinement will be entirely woven by hand, then attached together. The artisans are people who have good eyes and good hands, we have mold and rotate at the same time to achieve the aesthetic shapes.
Finishing
The final result is inspected again and any waste is collected for recycled.
OUR SPECIAL TECHNIQUE FOR HANDLING THE RAFFIA STRAW
Our raffia in our Artisanal Fashion Co. atelier is made with special technique to preserve the air within each fiber, which creates the softness and flexibility for the braids. Therefore our raffia designs can be spot-cleaned, iron and reshaped. See more instructions for Product Maintenance
2/ Types of raffia hats we make
Raffia Boater hat is normally made of stiff sennit straw and has a stiff flat crown and brim, typically with a solid or striped grosgrain ribbon around the crown. Boaters were derived from the canotier straw hat worn traditionally by gondoliers in the city of Venice. The Venetian canotier has a ribbon that hangs freely off the back, and they are frequently edged with a matching color ribbon.
Raffia Fedora hat is often crafted with an indented crown. It is creased lengthwise down the crown and “pinched” near the front on both sides. We have various versions of the position of the pinch and the crown shapes. Its brim is typically around 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) wide or wider and . The fedora hat’s brim is usually around 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) wide, but can be wider. It is usually left raw-edge, then finished with a sewn overwelt or underwelt, or bound with a trim-ribbon.
Raffia Downturn brim hat has a slight sliding brim shielding half of the face. The hat crown can be highlighted with openwork, trimmed with a lustrous upcycled cotton band, or made high for a modern look.
Raffia large brim hat (also known as sun hat, floppy hat or field hat) is a perfect design to shield the wearer from the sun thanks to its specially wide brim and the anti-UV nature of raffia
Raffia Beret is often crafted in an uneven shape with its crown angled to one side. The hat brim can be trimmed with a slight strand of linen, a gold coin or more raffia details.
Raffia Visor is crownless and simply consists of a visor or brim for covering the face from direct sun rays, finished with a strap encircling the head. The sun visor portion can be curved or flat. The strap is usually made adjustable with a velcro fastener at the back or cotton strap. This unisex type of hat is a great pick for an athleisure style as it features a sportive and minimalist
Raffia rollable Visor is a more versatile version of the Raffia Visor, with its brim can be rolled for convenience to carry in your bags.
Our Raffia Fascinators are designs that emphasize on the extravagant, special details with more specialized technique or handcrafted embroidery
3/ Why Raffia and not other straws
What is Raffia?
Raffia fiber is obtained from the raffia palm tree, which native to tropical regions and wet soil in parts of South East Asia, South and Central America. The very best of it flourish in the coastal valleys of Madagascar. Strong, durable, pliable, flexible, this natural material has special attributes that make it superior to any other regular straw in making hats and bags.
Why Raffia ?
1/ Rollable and packable: Unlike other straw types, raffia is more versatile that makes it widely utilized in fashion. In other words, its nature of being rollable and packable gives it a high adaptation to various fashionable shaping styles.
2/ Mold proof and water-resistant: Raffia is naturally resistant to water but the fiber itself is not considered waterproof. Mold proof and water-resistant, Leinné designs from raffia can be cleaned (except being soaked) and reshaped thanks to our special technique in processing. To take care of your raffia for long-lasting longevity, see our product care guide with thorough step by step instruction.
Our raffia in our Artisanal Fashion Co. atelier is made with special technique to preserve the air within each fiber, which creates the softness and flexibility for the braids. Therefore our raffia designs can be spot-cleaned, iron and reshaped
3/ UV protected
Our Raffia Braids offer great UPF protection against the sun. UPF stands for ‘Ultraviolet Protection Factor’. A hat with a UPF meaning the hat will reduce your skin’s exposure to Ultraviolet radiation, blocking the sun’s harmful UV rays.
What is special about our raffia?
Sustainable practice : Our designs gratify the sense when being in touch with natural materials and ideas. We do not make products that only serve functionally, but the spirit, the sensual inspiration echoed by each creation. We stay consistent on our way to sustainability, with mindfully chosen materials like upcycle cotton, organic cotton, disposable raffia that make fashion a way to give back to the environment. An entire thorough process from harvesting, processing to packing, is carefully executed with the utmost precision and dedication to ensure that only the finest raffia is exported.
Special technique for longevity : When processing raffia, we use a special technique to preserve the air within the straws so that it is rollable & packable. These attributes of raffia make it can be reshaped to the initial form.
Our Raffia is divided into different grades: premium, type 1 and type 2. The quality of these three types varied to their density, from the thickest to the thinnest.
4/ See more about our raffia creations
RAFFIA HAT
RAFFIA BAG
RAFFIA JEWELRY
RAFFIA HOME ACCESSORIES