Linen is an ancient fabric and one of the oldest textiles used in clothing. The Egyptians prized linen because of its ability to help keep them cool and they used it for clothes, shawls and bed coverings. Societies ever since have valued linen for its fine quality, elegant appearance and ability to keep the skin cool. Throughout the ages linen has provided people with elegant and practical clothing that combines style, elegance and comfort.
Linen is a light, finely woven fabric made from the fibers of the flax plant. While labor intensive to produce, linen clothing has a timelessly elegant appearance, and is used to manufacture all sorts of quality clothing from pants and trousers, to shirts, dresses and tunics. Because of its coolness and lightness, people often wear linen in warmer weather; it provides the perfect material for beach and destination weddings.
Linen has been prized throughout history
The secret to linen’s coolness lies in the construction of the flax fibers, which are hollow cylinders. These make linen an incredibly light material. Linen fabric feels cool to the touch due to it being such a good conductor of heat, and despite its lightness, linen is one of the strongest natural fibers and has more than twice the strength of cotton. As well as being cool, linen easily absorbs and loses moisture, which helps quickly remove perspiration from the skin. Furthermore, linen provides natural anti-bacterial properties and is UV resistant, which also makes it ideal for summer clothing.
Linen is rarely colored, as its tan, ivory and ecru colors, plus the luster of the material, make it one of the most naturally elegant clothing materials, but clothing made from linen has other advantages too. Linen clothes are simple to care for. Machine washable and easy to remove stains from, linen dries quickly and is an environmentally friendly material that is produced naturally. Almost no pesticides and chemicals are needed in linen’s manufacture, and linen flax grows with the aid of very little water.
Linen clothing can be extremely diverse in appearance and texture, due to the variation in thickness of linen yarns. This provides natural inconsistencies that give linen clothing that unique appeal. Available in various shades, colors and textures, linen is easy to match with other clothing, with various apparels from scarves to shawls available to complement any outfit, while linen clothes also look great just on their own.
