fabrics, ribbons and yarns of linen

Linen: natural beauty

Linen is made from the flax plant (Linum Usitatissimum) and is one of the oldest fibres used for textile production. Recent archeological evidence has shown that flax and linen was already used in the 8th millennium B.C. The value of flax for mankind is underscored by its Latin name, which translates as ‘most useful linen’. Especially during the Middle Ages, before cotton became a mass product and conquered the European markets, linen was one of the most used and popular natural fibres. To this day it remains a highly valued natural product that is applied in fashion, interior design but because of it’s strength also in bio-composites.

Clothing comfort

Linen yarns and fabrics are very suitable for apparel. The fibre has specific properties which distinguish it sharply from most other materials and make it unique.
Linen doesn’t enclose much air and has relatively poor insulation properties. That’s why linen fabrics feel fresh and cool, a distinct advantage for summer clothing. In addition linen is highly absorbent. It takes up water rapidly and also releases it quickly. On hot days this helps in regulating the microclimate between body and clothing.
Linen (sometimes called ‘European silk’) is well supported when worn directly on the skin even though it is stiffer and less elastic than cotton and is therefore less supple. These properties also cause the crinkling of linen, when used in woven fabrics, although this property may also be considered as part of its natural charm.

Sustainable linen

Linen is considered to be one of the most sustainable textiles known. The flax plant doesn’t require irrigation during growth and even when it is grown conventionally it needs little or no treatment with herbicides or pesticides. Linen is a natural product, it is 100% biodegradable and recyclable and feels very nice on the skin.
All the linen fabrics in the collection of ECOLOGICAL TEXTILES meet our high ecological standards for finishing. Even when the fabrics are not GOTS-certified only water-based dyes that comply with the European REACH standard have been used, and bleaches are oxygen-based.

The ecological advantages of linen:

• 100% biodegradable
• no irrigation needed
• no or limited chemical treatment

Today, flax is also very much a ‘European’ plant in the sense that France and Belgium are the leading flax producing countries in the world. These countries, to which the Netherlands may be added, can bow on a centuries old tradition which was made possible by ideal climatic conditions and soils. More than 80% of the world production is European, with nearly 75.000 acres under cultivation annually.