Local straw hats a rare find at Victoria Market |13 September 2013

They are made of lantannyen and they come in different shapes and designs; they are for both men and women. These are the locally made straw hats on display in a corner stand at the Victoria Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market. The seller, who wants to be referred to as Pascal, says the hats are made by his mother.

“These hats are not made from any lantannyen leaves you find lying around in the environment,” says Pascal. “You have to know which is the right one.”

He also says that both tourists and Seychellois buy his hats and are always taking photographs of them.
But Pascal believes these locally made hats might be extinct one day. “I believe these hats and the art of making them are on the verge of disappearance. Almost nobody are making these local products anymore and my greatest fear is that such items will disappear from the Creole culture one day,” concludes Pascal.