About Linen

Linen is a valuable fabric for the future. Clearly, linen meets the demands of today’s consumers who are rejecting the excessive use of energy and moving towards something more sustainable.

Linen, with its natural feel and finish, is both sophisticated and comfortable. Due to its irregular fibre, the texture is visible to the eye. The fabric is timeless: not only does it improve with age and use, it never goes out of fashion. And for this reason, it’s perfect for slow fashion.

Linen is valued for its suppleness, lightness, durability, and thermo-regulatory qualities. It is absorbent and comfortable.

The linen fabric is made of flax. Flax farming has a minimal environmental impact and requires no irrigation, only rainwater. There is no waste produced with flax, as every part of the plant is used; the long and short fibres, seeds and shive.

Linen is a European specialty being the only vegetable textile fibre originating on the continent. Flax fibres are found from Rouen in France till Flevoland in the Netherlands.

A natural humid oceanic climate, loamy soil and generations of experience: the perfect situation to guarantee quality and natural products.

From flax to linen

Sowing

It all begins with sowing, where the farmer carefully selects a suitable area with well-drained soil. The tiny flax seeds are scattered evenly across the prepared soil. These seeds are then lightly covered with soil, ensuring proper seed-to-soil contact. The farmer tends to the seeds, providing them with adequate water and nurturing them until they sprout and flourish.

From flax to linen

Sowing

Pulling

Pulling is a critical and labor-intensive stage in the flax to linen process, marking the culmination of months of careful cultivation and growth. Harvesting flax at the right time is crucial to ensure the quality of the fibers. When the flax plants have reached their peak maturity, just before the seeds fully ripen, they are ready to be pulled from the ground.

The pulling process requires skilled workers who grasp the flax stalks close to the roots and gently uproot the entire plant. Careful handling is essential to preserve the length and quality of the fibers, as longer fibers yield stronger and finer linen.

Flax pulling was traditionally done by hand, as it allowed for greater precision in determining the optimal time for harvesting each plant. Modern harvesting machines have been developed to streamline the process, but hand pulling remains a preferred method in some regions where the craft has been passed down through generations.

Pulling

Retting

In a tranquil setting near a water source, the flax sheaves are submerged, initiating the process of retting. Time becomes a gentle companion as the pectins that bind the fiber to the stalks break down. Patience is key as the flax sheaves soak, allowing nature to work its magic. The retting process varies. But after a span of 5 to 10 days, the fibers readily separate from the stalks.

Retting

Baling

Once retting is finished, the flax sheaves are carefully removed from the water and allowed to drain and dry slightly. This prepares them for the next step: baling. The farmer takes ache flax sheaf and gently strikes it against a hard surface to remove any remaining woody material. This process breaks the stems, liberating the valuable fibers. These fibers are then gathered and formed into bales.

Baling

Scutching

After bailing, the fibers undergo scutching to further refine and clean them. The farmer lays the flax stricks, as the bales are called, on a flat surface. Using a specialized tool called a scutching knife, the farmer carefully scrapes the stricks, removing any residual woody debris and separating long fibers from the shorter ones. This meticulous process results in clean and smooth fibers ready for further processing.

Scutching

Spinning and weaving

Once the scutching is complete, the flax fibers are ready for spinning into linen yarn. Spinning involves twisting the fibers together to create a continuous thread. The spun linen yarn is then woven into fabric using traditional looms. Weaving interlaces the vertical (warp) and horizontal (weft) yarns to form linen fabric.

Spinning and weaving

Spinning twists flax fibers into yarn, which is then wound onto spools. In the weaving process, this yarn is threaded onto a loom, where it is interlaced with perpendicular threads to create a strong, smooth linen fabric. This fabric is then ready for various uses.

Finishing

The finishing stage is a crucial step where raw textiles are transformed into market-ready products. It involves cleaning, dyeing, printing, and various treatments to enhance the fabric’s appearance, durability, and functionality. This stage ensures that fabrics meet specific quality standards before being packaged and distributed to manufacturers, retailers, or consumers.

Finishing

Garment Making

In the hands of garment makers and tailors, the linen fabric takes on new forms. Patterns are cut and stitches are placed, shaping the fabrics into dresses, shirts, trousers and more. Each garment is a testament to the marriage of craftsmanship and the inherent qualities of linen.