Linen has a strong reputation widely known for its unbeatable credentials.
But why Irish Linen?
The earliest recorded mention of Irish Linen dates back to the 13th century. Since then, Ireland has been producing the highest quality Linen developed through generations of dedication, craftsmanship and skill, refining it through the centuries.
Linen yarns require a very specific set up and treatment, this is something that Irish Linen mills have perfected over time. The expertise in Irish Linen weaving combined with the best yarns coming from Northwestern Europe, produce cloth that is fine, soft and with a natural lustre that you wouldn't usually associate with Linen. It has a denser weave and fewer slubs making it the most refined version of the fabric, often referred to as the "Champagne of Linens".
As LOUAL grows, we are always meeting fellow Irish Linen lovers who cherish this special fabric. It is always a delight when people can tell that it is Irish Linen at first glance.
Irish Linen is unique and rare, there are less and less weavers producing it today due to the mass market turning away from natural fabrics in past decades.
We adore its quality and its heritage. We want to keep our supply chain as short as possible and we love supporting such a beautiful and historic trade close to our manufacture in London.
THE UNBEATABLE CREDENTIALS
Linen has amazing and countless positive properties. It comes from the Flax plant which is a naturally sustainable fibre. Here are some of our ultimate favourite properties of Linen:
- The long Flax fibres make it approximately 20% stronger when wet making it ideal for the kitchen, bathroom, pool or beach.
- Linen is naturally antibacterial and absorbent so it takes much longer to smell bad. It also gives UV protection - all the reasons its known to be so great for summer and holidays.
- Linen is virtually insect repellent and also moth resistant. Moths won't want it and you can even use our Irish Linen totes to help protect your woollen knits.
- Linens natural breathability and temperature regulating qualities make it ideal for keeping our bodies cool. These exact qualities translate perfectly into cold weather by helping our bodies retain heat making it absolutely perfect for layering in the winter too. (This is interestingly why Linen has made a breakthrough in eco-construction for its insular and thermal, energetic properties. The heat conductivity of Linen is actually very high!)
- Linen comes from the Flax plant which used far less water than cotton to grow as it does not require irrigation (added water) and grows from rainfall alone.
- It also uses far less pesticides than cotton.
- Nothing is wasted in flax farming - all parts of the plant are used in one industry to another.
- Each hectare of flax captures 3.7 tonnes of CO2.
- Flax works as a rotation crop so when swapped on land every 6 - 7 years it can boost soil quality,
and increase yields of the next crop.
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The Irish Linen we use comes from a mill which is ISO 14001 Certified. This means they have demonstrated that their Environmental Management System (EMS) is in place, and is used in the running of every aspect of their process. This includes an assessment of energy use and chemical management as well as continuously assessing and improving their environmental and sustainability goals. The mill is powered by 100% renewable electricity.
The mill also maintains a high level of control and monitoring in the processing, dyeing and finishing process preserving a work practice that keeps chemicals to a minimum and drive innovations in reducing the water required. All chemicals and dyestuffs used at the mill comply with REACH compliance legislation. All waste plastics and papers are recycled and packing materials from them to our manufacturers contain recycled materials.