Notes on linen

Linen has a reputation for being difficult — it creases, it softens unpredictably, it can feel stiff for a month and then suddenly become the best thing you own. All of that is explained by how it is made.

From field to fibre

Flax grows in about a hundred days and is pulled rather than cut, so the fibre runs the full length of the stem. It is then left in the field to ret — a controlled rot that lets bacteria break down the pectin holding the fibre to the woody core. Retting is done by weather, which is why the best flax comes from places with reliable damp: northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands.

Scutching separates the long line fibres from the short tow. Line fibre is what makes good cloth. Tow makes the coarse, slubby linen most people picture when they hear the word.

Why it creases

Linen fibres are stiff and have low elasticity — they do not spring back the way wool does. A crease is the fibre bending and staying bent. This is a property, not a defect, and it is inseparable from the things linen does well: it conducts heat away from the body, absorbs moisture without feeling damp, and gets softer with every wash for years.

Living with it

• Wash cool and often — linen strengthens when wet.
• Line dry until barely damp, then press if you want it sharp.
• Do not iron it flat if you like the texture. Most creases fall out when worn.
• Expect the first six weeks to feel unlike the next six years.