Linen: the Story of a Timeless Fabric

The clothes we wear speak about us. This might seem like a trivial and even obvious statement, but it’s not. Rather, it allows us to open a reflection: how crucial are fabrics and their choice in fashion? Very much so, in fact, extremely so. They also tell our story, about how we want to present ourselves in the present, establishing a connection with the past and an open look toward the future.

1stAmerican’s style is characterized by the careful selection of materials, each with its own story, often with ancient and even millennial origins. This is the case with linen, an excellent fabric with distant roots. Precious, essential, capable of never going out of style and accompanying everyday life with a harmony, an inner peace, we could say, that is truly special.

Linen is one of the excellent protagonists of 1stAmerican’s new collections dedicated to spring summer 2022. Garments with an intimate light, full of sunshine and the desire to face life with a light spirit. Those who wear linen do so with their heads held high, remembering that life is one and deserves to be lived with style.

In this in-depth look, we take you to discover linen, a timeless fabric destined never to go out of fashion. A great classic, but also an essential heritage of universal human culture, as its important history testifies.

The Origins of Linen: Ancient Egypt

Did you know that the word “fabric” has a semantic element in common with “text”? It comes from the Latin verb “texere,” which means, precisely, “to weave,” “to intertwine.” One of the most interesting books about fabrics, rich with stories, anecdotes and so much love for fabrics themselves, is The Golden Thread by Kassia St Clair, which tells well how the lived experience of materials used in weaving, their history and evolution over the centuries, is intertwined precisely with that of people.

One of the chapters in this volume is dedicated to linen and is revealing about its origins and the importance it has had since antiquity. Linen is a fabric that is simple in itself, both to obtain and to work with. According to archaeological findings, it is the most widespread textile material in antiquity, at least until 6000 BC, and its origin dates back to 8000 BC.

The linen that has come down to us is what was found in the tombs of priests or kings of Ancient Egypt, which is why we have much more information about its illustrious use than about its everyday use. The Nile Delta region has a particular climate and, from what we can reconstruct, linen seeds were planted between October and November. The stems were harvested, still unripe and delicate, in March.

Linen seeds were not used, exactly as today, only to produce fabric, but were also used in cooking, boiled, roasted or for oil production. Linen processing requires great care and the work of farmers in antiquity was absolutely not simple; the methods of Ancient Egyptian farmers don’t seem to be far from modern ones, with the concrete result being very close to the current one.

The linen plant had an important symbolic value, not to mention a true place of honor, in Egyptian culture and society. The reason is linked to the multiple properties of this fiber, which we will explore in the next paragraphs, so humble and at the same time so precious, including a deep affinity with an idea of purity and cleanliness, thanks to the light color with which it was predominantly produced.

Linen was the medium for passage, this in the tombs of illustrious figures of Ancient Egypt, between the earthly and the divine, between the impure and the pure. The very emblem of sacredness: this is why the mummies of the Pharaohs were wrapped in this fiber. The highest honors and symbolism. Linen was and remains the very essence of metamorphosis and the ancestral fascination that these figures have carried with them. Its echo is still heard today.

Linen from the Romans to the Modern Era

Linen spread from Ancient Egypt to the rest of the Western world. How? Simple! Through the most important navigators of the Mediterranean: the Phoenicians. The people, originally from the coastal areas of the Land of Canaan (present-day Lebanon), were fundamental for the spread of cultural and commercial exchanges, and those concerning linen, naturally, are no exception.

Linen spread, and considerable credit goes to the Phoenicians, among the Romans, who introduced its cultivation and processing throughout the Empire with a truly interesting innovation: it was with them that it was used not only for making clothing but also for household items such as tablecloths and linens.

The Roman Era marks the spread of linen beyond its “classic” boundaries, with development extended on a global scale, at least within the confines of the Ancient World. It was with the Middle Ages, however, that the fabric reached a further level of expansion in Europe, establishing itself as a commonly used fabric.

An ascent that even managed to grow during the Renaissance, a historical moment during which linen came to assume a symbolic meaning not unlike the current one. It was precisely during the Renaissance, in fact, that the taste for a refined lifestyle began to develop that saw the presence of linen in daily life and in the production of sheets and shirts.

Over the following centuries, linen continued to be used according to traditional cultivation and transformation techniques that centered on hand spinning and weaving procedures. Linen processing found further application in Europe when, due to religious wars, thousands of Flemish weavers (but also from other countries like France) found themselves forced into exile outside their borders, arriving in England and Ireland. Countries where this fiber found unparalleled conditions for success as evidenced by the production of “Irish linen.” In the same years, linen arrived in Eastern Europe, particularly in Russia and Poland, where it appeared for the first time in trade and became known for its qualities.

In the 19th century, with the industrialization of the textile sector, linen was one of the materials most involved in the development of new spinning and weaving production techniques. The most interesting innovation was undoubtedly that developed by French scientist Philippe de Girard, who created mechanical linen spinning based on analysis of the physical components of the fiber, to which was added the refinement achieved by Joseph-Marie Jacquard.

The consequence was an increase in production but also an important diversification of products introduced to the market throughout Europe. An evolution still ongoing that shows how linen is capable, yesterday as today, of responding to people’s needs and requirements. Always with style and elegance.

Linen Production Today

Today the most important flax cultivations are mainly in Europe, where 70% of global production is concentrated. The countries most involved are France, Belgium and the Netherlands, thanks to the humid and cold climate, as well as, above all, the experience passed down for centuries among specialized artisans.

Another production considered among the finest in the world is that of Irish linen, although in several cases, but this also applies to Belgium and other Old Continent countries, the cultivation of the plant is carried out elsewhere: in Ireland and Europe, we specify again to be as clear as possible, mainly the processing of the fabric takes place.

Flax is cultivated intensively in China, Russia and South America, while smaller production centers are present in Egypt, some parts of Canada and northern United States and even in Northern Italy. Linen confirms itself, therefore, as a universal fabric. Let’s see better why by taking a look at its properties.

Linen: What are the Properties

Linen has been used since ancient times because of its multiple properties. These are diverse and are linked to the characteristics of the fabric which, while being in common use, can rightfully be considered precious. The peculiarities of linen garments, also present in those made by 1stAmerican, are:

• Resistance. Linen is an extremely resistant material: this is demonstrated by the state of conservation it has been able to maintain over the centuries and which is evident in archaeological finds from Ancient Egypt. This fiber not only manages to maintain itself excellently after washing, but also to acquire greater softness, without deforming or yellowing, rather guaranteeing an even brighter color.

• Low environmental impact. Linen is a natural, ecological fiber, capable of enriching the soil during cultivation and keeping it fertile. It doesn’t require artificial irrigation (rather, rainwater alone is enough), nor the use of pesticides, which is why it’s particularly suitable even in contact with the skin.

• Linen is a 100% recyclable and biodegradable fabric. Another factor that enriches its green side, and that makes it particularly suitable for an era, like the current one, that is necessarily looking for eco-friendly solutions: the ancients had seen far ahead.

• It always remains gentle in contact with the skin and doesn’t cause allergies. Linen is a real blessing for the skin, being bactericidal and hypoallergenic: for those who have delicate skin or tend to develop redness/irritation states, it’s really an excellent solution.

• Linen is a natural thermoregulator. It’s a fiber capable of adapting to any climate. In summer, it manages to offer maximum freshness, while in winter it’s able to maintain warmth. Not only that: linen handles humidity situations excellently, since it manages to absorb it naturally, and also has insulating properties. It’s a perfect material, therefore, in all seasons and not only in the warmer ones of the year.

• Unmatched breathability. Thanks to its thermoregulating qualities, linen guarantees natural breathability in contact with the skin. It even manages to filter UVA rays, representing a sort of impalpable protective and delicate veil, and to be waterproof.

• Dries quickly. A factor that makes linen practical to use, perfect to take on vacation, also because it takes up little space.

To all this it’s necessary to add the fact that linen is elegant, essential and really pleasant to wear. It couldn’t help but be, therefore, one of the fabrics at the center of 1stAmerican’s collections for men as well as women.

Linen Clothing: 1stAmerican’s Proposal

Linen is a fabric that remains stiff and doesn’t lend itself, at least not alone, to making fitted garments. One of its advantages is that you always feel its freshness, together with a sensation of pure wonder on the skin, as if it were being hydrated on contact with the fabric.

1stAmerican’s proposal regarding linen garments features basic pieces for him and her, suitable especially for summer and mid-season but which lend themselves perfectly to being worn, in direct contact with the skin, even in winter.

1stAmerican creates, for women, in linen, pants and shorts, tops and shirts. The lines are soft and the garments can be worn either simply as they are, or with a belt or scarf at the waist. The colors are classic, with blue and white standing out above all, but also vibrant, for example yellow and fuchsia. The style is refined and elegant, perfect for all-day outfits, capable of making you feel comfortable at all times of the day. No less interesting are 1stAmerican’s pieces for men and in particular the linen shirt, which is available in different shades like beige, light blue and white. The effect is that of an elegant style and at the same time with a dynamic touch. A shirt that looks great even under a winter sweater, with all the benefits of linen in contact with the skin. Linen, in 1stAmerican’s collections, manages to reach its maximum level, confirming itself as an ancient and modern material together with a special note that always makes you want to discover.