Linen is elegant, soft-to-touch, durable and all-natural fabric. It is the strongest of the vegetable fabrics and has 2 to 3 times the strength of cotton. Besides being durable and stylish, linen clothes do not cause skin allergies. In fact, it is helpful in treating a number of allergies and inflammatory conditions. Linen possesses high permeability, high absorbency and heat conductivity properties which makes the fabric an ideal wear for summers as well as winters. In summers, linen clothes keep you cool and in winters they keep you warm.
In addition to apparels and accessories, linen is also used in manufacturing table clothes and napkins. Linen table clothes and napkins absorb stains and release them like no other fabric. Linen napkins and glass cloths are great for wrapping sandwiches and other food to help keep it fresh. Linen has massaging properties which is why bed sheets made of linen help people get a relaxing sleep.
Linen is one of the oldest fabrics and is believed to exist since 5000 years. Egyptians considered it as a fabric for royals. The royal families wore cloaks made of fine linen with wide sleeves. Cleopatra one of the icons of Egyptian fashion wore linen. The British Museum has Cleopatra’s linen wreath. Besides, apparels linen was also used in fishing nets, ships’ sails etc. In Bible, it has been mentioned that linen had several other uses in addition to clothing: for wicks (eg., Matthew 12:2) and as measuring lines.
Another oldest fabric that is oftentimes confused as linen is ramie. Ramie like linen wrinkles easily, lustrous, extremely absorbent and is resistant to bacteria and molds. The fabric was used in mummy cloths in Egypt during the period 5000 – 3000 BC. It has been grown in China for many centuries. The process of turning the ramie fibres into fabric is very similar to the process that is used for manufacturing linen from flax. The main difference between ramie and linen according to Linen Club, a fabric brand of Jayashree Textiles, a subsidary of Aditya Birla Nuvo is : ramie gets harsher after every wash and causes skin itching whereas linen fabrics gets softer after every wash and is relaxing and soothing to skin.
Antonio Bristow has penned down different write-ups on Linen Fabrics. In this article he briefly describes Linen Club‘s views on how to distinguish linen from ramie.
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