Everything you need to know about linen (2024)

FAQs

What you need to know about linen? ›

It's a natural super material! It can hold a lot of moist without feeling damp, is naturally antibacterial and dirt repellant – and also sustainable to grow. Linen can be washed in maximum of 80 °C, but will be clean even in lower temperatures. Always steam or iron linen clothes after laundry – never tumble dry.

The easiest way to identify whether your linen is truly 100 % linen and made in high quality is to pay attention to these factors: weight, color, the strength of the fibers, wrinkles, slubs, and lastly, moisture-wicking qualities.

Linen is the second strongest natural fibre in the world

It's also 30% stronger than cotton! Linen is a very durable fabric and unlike other fabrics it doesn't pill over time. The more its worn and washed, the softer and more luxurious it gets.

To identify linen fabric, you must consider the following: Look for its natural colors. It includes pale yellowish-gray, beige, taupe, gray, cream, ecru, sand, and ivory. Check for natural wrinkles, as linen is not very elastic.

So, is it ok for linen to get wet? Well, if you accidentally spill water on your linen item, there's no need to worry. Also, linen is one of the few fabrics that gets stronger when it is wet. The flax-based textile is very durable: it can hold up to 20 to 30% of its weight in water.

Linen is known for its breathability, durability, and versatility although it is prone to wrinkling and stiffness. Linen is often blended with cotton (another natural plant fiber) to give it softness and loosen creases.

Today, linen is usually an expensive textile produced in relatively small quantities. It has a long staple (individual fiber length) relative to cotton and other natural fibers.

Flax cultivation is a specialised industry, and the production of linen is relatively limited compared to other fabrics such as cotton or polyester. The limited availability of linen fibers leads to higher production costs and subsequently higher prices for linen products.

Despite this, it remains a surprisingly rare material, especially in menswear. In part, this is due to its higher cost compared to cotton, but also because linen polarises opinion due to its propensity to crease.

Natural color of linen is often called 'linen grey. ' Usually, it's a combination of light grey and brown, a mixture of most natural tones close to the earth and simplistic life.

What color linen is best? ›

The most common tones for linen fabric is light buff, oatmeal and ecru right through to darker greys. All of these shades work beautifully together as they come from a natural, complementary palette, so you needn't worry if two linens are slightly varying tones.

According to the IMT Comfort Index the ratio between insulation and breathability indicates what fabrics are most comfortable to wear. 100% Linen scores the highest comfort with an index of 0.388 followed by cotton with a score of 0.386 and PES being last.

Linen is an amazing natural fabric that is low maintenance and lasts a long time. It's a unique natural material that is sturdy, durable and resistant to bacteria, moths and perspiration.

Does linen shrink in the dryer? Yes, in fact, many of us have learned the hard way that linen can shrink after washing by drying it at too high a temperature! The safest method of drying linen without shrinking it is to either line dry or tumble dry low in the dryer.

Manufacturing linen is a laborious and time-consuming process. Linen is more costly than cotton because the flax plant from which linen originates demands special care and attention during harvest and – lacking elastic properties – is harder to weave without the risk of snapping threads.