Style: A summer of flax

Linen: a fabric with many strengths

Linen has maintained its place in our wardrobes throughout the ages. Linen, a noble material once associated with the sacred realm, today is synonymous with elegance.
Faced with the new consumers expectations, who are ever more attentive to the working conditions of men and women and concerned about more ethical manufacturing conditions, linen is coming into its own. In fact, fabrics made from European flax are the result of a production circuit with strict standards established by the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp. This is why brands which create items that use European Flax™ certified material are combining summer collections with a less impact approach on the planet.

copyright Agnès b.

Buying a linen garment also means making a choice. Linen does not warp or pill. It ages well, and its appearance even improves with time. It is also remarkably suited to dye absorption. This high degree of dyeability allows many brands to open up new creative horizons. They can now offer styles in neutral and dark colours alongside brightly coloured ones. Linen brings out the nuance and depth of every colour. The only limit is the imagination of the designers themselve.

Brands that incorporate linen into their collections

Brands are increasingly highlighting linen due to growing interest in promoting the functional and environmental properties of this material of plant fibre origin. Others are using flax due to the wide range of possibilities it can offer for their collections. This bolsters their strategy of both offering on-trend pieces while engaging in a committed  process  to environmental issues.

copyright Inès de la Fressange

Womenswear brands

A linen spring/summer 2023 collection

Among women’s fashion brands, Uniqlo leads the way by placing linen front and centre of its spring/summer 2023 collection. It is present in a wide variety of clothing such as jackets, trousers and shirt-dresses. The target audience: people who want clothes that are both aesthetically pleasing and breathable on nice weather days.

Agnès B also offers linen pieces in its spring/summer 2023 collection: shirts, dresses, shorts, trousers, and many other refined designs in 100% linen. Other brands, such as Vero Moda, and Arket, have items made of pure linen as well as linen blends in their summer collections.

What about menswear?

A special place for linen in the summer 2023 collections

Men’s clothing also features linen. Marc O'Polo is up to the task, in part thanks to its partnership with the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp. This brand continues to spotlight linen clothing in its summer 2023 collection.

Knowledge Cotton Apparel promotes a narrative about preserving nature as an integral part of its DNA. A message that further reinforces the legitimacy of the linen pieces in its boutiques.

Linen is attracting fashion houses, brands and fashion designers

The love story between linen and the fashion industry’s leaders continues. Once perceived as being staunchly traditional, linen has become more elegant, particularly through the interest in it expressed by luxury brands. Made from plants, this fabric has touched the hearts of great fashion designers, as demonstrate these quotes illustrate:

Linen is a noble, subtle, nonchalant, fresh, and light fabric.

Kenzo Takada

A message that reminds us of how suitable linen is for summer wardrobes thanks to its thermoregulating properties and its great breathability.

Monsieur Dior also said in his day:

Linen is to fashion designers what marble is to sculpture: a noble material.

Christian Dior

Also expressing his love for linen, the designer Giorgio Armani once said:

I love linen, because it is a noble fabric with unlimited potential.

Giorgio Armani

Respected by the greatest figures in fashion and increasingly popular among luxury brands, Linen made from European-grown flax occupies a well-deserved place in their sophisticated collections - a valid position in haute couture, ready-to-wear and designer brands.