with honor and pride

Unay Muchiku is a workshop created by our family who has dedicated over 300+ years to creating traditional hand-crafted hats. We are of the Ecuadorian indigenous people called the Kichwa and the “sombrero” is a large part of our cultural identity. It can represent our city, it can represent our community. We have over 178 traditional representations. By the hat that I wear with pride, with honor, my fellow Kichwas will know who I am.

Three women dressed in traditional Ecuadorian Kichwa attire, preparing and handling cotton in a rustic setting.
An elderly woman with wrinkled skin, wearing traditional Ecuador Kichwa attire and jewelry, sitting with a serious expression, holding a tool or instrument on a soft blanket.
Stacked round felted wool hats and a ball of wool on a wooden woven basket, with raw wool fibers nearby.

the forgotten craft

Unfortunately, our workshop is the last of its kind in the country and possibly the world due to the rise of factories, modern machine techniques, synthetic fibers, and easily accessible chemical dyes. Most artisans now believe that the original wool felt hat is no longer a viable business because of the cost and time to create just one of them by hand. As a result, today you will hardly find the same high quality authentic products of the past.

An elderly woman dressed in traditional clothing, sitting on a rug with baskets of wool beside her, in front of a textured wall with several hats hanging from hooks.

the unay way

Here at Unay Muchiku, 100% of the hat creation process is done at our workshop from the selection of wool all the way down to the last final detail of decoration. Every step is by hand as we do not use machinery but rather a vigorous manual compacting method. The tools necessary involve bronze, fire, water, sunlight, local plants, among other gifts of nature. It is the nearly forgotten traditional way of the past, yet the quality is superior to anything made by modern techniques.

A woman dressed in traditional Ecuador attire of the Kichwa people with colorful embroidered blouse, black shawl, and multiple orange beaded bracelets, is cooking over an open brick stove, with hats hanging in the background.

Depending on the hat requested, it can take a week up to two months to finish just one item. The higher-end hat for example is so compact that it sounds like a helmet when you knock on it with your fist. A traditional quality never seen before by most foreigners, Unay Muchiku has drawn attention worldwide by universities and professionals alike from the textile, cultural heritage, art, ecology, fashion and anthropology fields.

An indigenous woman kneeling on a woven mat, spinning wool by a traditional fireplace, with three children in similar attire working in the background, in a rustic room decorated with hats on the wall.

We are proud to say that the sheep and alpaca wool are all locally sourced. At Unay Muchiku, we believe in strengthening our communities as much as possible by providing jobs and purchasing goods locally. In our home, we create all our colors from the nature that surrounds us using techniques passed down from our ancestors. We do not believe chemicals are needed and try to keep the environment as clean as possible.

highest of ethics

At Unay Muchiku, we are transparent in everything we create and believe in the highest of ethics as the way of life. Don’t just take our word for it, you may see the workshop for yourself! We take pride in our reputation. If you have an interest in Ecuadorian Andes culture, specifically the craftsmanship and identity significance of the original traditional hat, chat with us today!

A woman dressed in traditional Ecuador clothing touching a large woolen hat on a wooden counter inside a rustic room.

Watch the Process

A deeper understanding of what it takes to create a traditional hat by hand.

A woman dressed in traditional Ecuador clothing of the Kichwa people, including a wide-brimmed hat, colorful embroidered blouse, and multiple pearl necklaces, is smiling while working with raw wool in a rustic workshop.

The Artist Behind It All

The life of Belen Picuasi and the inspiration of Unay Muchiku

A man wearing a brown hat with a decorative band examines a similar hat displayed on a table. Various hats with colorful bands are also on the table. In the background, decorative textiles and hats are displayed on the wall.

Read Before Shopping

Learn what to look for in high quality wool products