Stylish Panama from double Royal Warrant-holding hat maker Lock & Co will raise money for crafts charity QEST

Hat-lovers can give a head-start to one of The Queen’s good causes by buying a stylish special edition Panama to celebrate her 90th birthday.

Lock & Co, the double Royal Warrant-holding hat maker in London’s prestigious St James’s Street, has created this dashing-looking and beribboned Panama hat to help raise money for QEST, the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, a crafts charity that has the monarch as its Patron.

Designed by Lock & Co’s Creative Director Ruth Ravenscroft, the Panama features a tri-tone band in QEST colours – a ribbon spun by fellow Royal Warrant holders Toye Kenning & Spencer.

“We chose the traditional Panama style because it’s a very popular Summer hat for Lock & Co and we knew it would be successful for QEST,” Ruth told Luxurious Magazine.

“It’s a handwoven, authentic Panama from Ecuador complete with cigar stamp on the inside – a mark put on by the weavers to certify that the hat is genuine and of excellent quality.”

Lock & Co, established in 1676 – only 60 years after Shakespeare’s death – is not only the oldest hat shop in the world but created most of the world’s most iconic hats for illustrious clients including Admiral Lord Nelson, Beau Brummell, Oscar Wilde, President Roosevelt, Sir Winston Churchill, Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin.

It will donate 20% of the cost of the £250 Panama hat to QEST, which gives financial and practical support as well as educational opportunities to help talented artisans and craftspeople achieve excellence and fulfil their potential.

Founded in 1990 as the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders’ Association, QEST has awarded scholarships worth up to £18,000 to more than 350 craftspeople in 130 different skill sectors.

The Lock & Co Panama for QEST – Where and how

You can buy the hat at Lock & Co’s shop at 6 St James’s Street or find more information at www.lockhatters.co.uk or on 0207 930 8874.