Its tendency to wrinkle and crush are part of its charm and its lasting durability creates an unrivalled fabric. This resilience is one of the prime reasons we continue to use linens as our outdoor fabric of choice, as well as its tendency to get softer and more forgiving the more it is warn.

‘Linen’ derived from linum, the Latin term for flax plant

The highest quality linen comes from Western Europe where the humble flax plant is grown in sprawling fields. It’s an annual plant with a growing season relatively short; from sowing the seed in March to harvesting the crop in July, it only takes about a hundred days for the flax to mature.

The flax plant is uprooted, seeds removed, fibres stripped and dried before being spun.  The linen yarn is then woven into sheets where it is carefully examined for its quality, evenness and strength before being rolled out for manufacturers to use.

Linen textiles are some of the oldest in the world and have survived the evolution of man-made fabrics perhaps due to its remarkable qualities we have grown to love.  Today we see a rise in the use of linen as we search for more natural, tactile and quality materials that provide a sense of luxury and pleasure along with durability.

For those of you with an interest in the making of this unrivalled fabric and who can spare 15 minutes, here is a beautiful video of the cultivation process.

https://vimeo.com/16474921