Linen
The Production Process
From seed planting to harvesting of the flax plant, it takes about 100 days. Once harvested, the plant is passed through coarse combs, which remove the seeds and leaves. The woody bark surrounding the flax fibre is decomposed by water or chemical retting, then squeezed, and left to dry. Once the flax fibres have been released from the flax stalk, they are combed and straightened in preparation for spinning. The long linen fibres are put through machines called spreaders which combine fibres of the same length, then drawn into thread using a spinning frame.
The yarn is now ready to be woven into Linen.
THE ORIGINAL LUXURY FABRIC
Linen is thought to be the world’s oldest fabric. Egyptian mummies were wrapped in linen as a symbol of light and purity, and as a display of wealth. Even today, linen is an expensive fabric to produce - not only because of the difficulties in working with the thread, but because the flax plant it comes from requires a great deal of attention.
SO WHY DO WE USE IT?
Because it is a premium fabric - cool and smooth to touch, lint free with high natural lustre. It improves with age, getting softer the more it is washed. Anyone who has travelled in hot and humid climates will tell you it is the only fabric to wear in the heat. It is easy to take care of since it resists dirt and stains, doesn’t pill, and if you hang it in the bathroom while you shower - you don’t even need to iron it!
OUR GARMENTS
Some of our garments are 100% linen, others are combined with cotton - either way, you get to experience the modern-day equivalent of the world’s oldest luxury fabric.