Milan (pronounced Mylan) with its unmistakable soft golden hue is one of the all time classic straw hats.

Made from hand-braided wheat straw, the Milan braid has been woven for over a century in a small village in China. An entire industry that was devoted to the cultivation, weaving and finishing of this fine braid essentially died out. The high cost of producing the Milan braid eventually led to its gradual replacement by synthetic braid or pseudo-Milan type hats in the marketplace.

The true Milan braid is very difficult to weave, expensive and also difficult to block and finish. Optimo Hats still offers a limited number of fine, genuine Milan hats which are custom woven and dyed exclusively for our factory.

The Milan braid is available in a variety of colors and all the styles shown for the Montecristi Panama hats.

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