Interesting history and culture behind the linen shirt

Not only is the fabric ideal for summer, linen also carries a long page of history.

Interesting history and culture behind the linen shirt

Fabric is the first and most important factor that determines the quality of the outfit. With their soft texture and luxurious shine, high breathability and moisture absorption, UNIQLO ‘s premium linen shirts are dubbed the “fashion material of summer”. In order for linen (also known as linen) to achieve the quality it is today, it needs to go through more than 30,000 years of upgrading and transformation. Find out the interesting stories behind UNIQLO’s exquisite linen.

Linen (also known as linen) is the first man-made woven fabric. The oldest linen samples were found in prehistoric caves with an estimated lifespan of more than 30,000 years.

Fast-forward to Ancient Egypt in 5,000 BC, the Egyptians ran a moneyless economy. Instead of cash, goods are exchanged for other items of equal value. As a range of textiles with a wide range of applications, from everyday wear to even burial bandages, linen was a basic commodity of the Egyptian economy at that time. With its high absorbency and heat conductivity, linen is ideal for Egypt’s hot climate.

Two thousand years later, linen went global. The Phoenicians, the number one merchants in the ancient Mediterranean, brought linen from Ireland around the 10th century BC. Not long after, the people of ancient Rome established the first “factories” to produce linen products to supply the growing demand. Through those hands, the fabric reached Greece, then Rome, and further into Europe.

The history of European linen begins from that time. Linen became a symbol of wealth and status in Europe and was used to make clothes for royalty and the nobility. Today, linen is still appreciated for its durability, breathability, and environmental friendliness.

During the first half of the 17th century, the Dutch town of Haarlem was a major center of linen production. The town benefited from the emigration of experienced linen weavers from the southern Netherlands during the Dutch Revolt. Traders from other parts of Europe also sent linen products to Haarlem for bleaching and finishing.

In 16th-century France, artisans offered French courtiers the finest linen clothes, but much of that talent was exiled in the 17th century when King Louis XIV forbade his followers. Protestantism in France. The artisans emigrated to Germany and Northern Europe. With the decline of the linen industry in the Netherlands and France, a new “player” appeared on the map – the Belgian region of Flanders and especially the town of Tielt. Although Julius Caesar commented on the quality of Flemish linen as early as 100 BC, it was not until the 18th century that it truly came into its own. By 1840, 71% of the households around Tielt were engaged in linen production.

In Vietnam, growing flax and weaving has become a popular profession and a unique national culture of the Mong people. Hmong women come of age to learn the craft of weaving linen. Whether a woman is talented, hardworking, skillful, or not is also judged by her skill in weaving linen. To weave a traditional costume of the Mong people from linen can take a whole year because it has to go through many complicated stages.

Not only used to make clothes, but flax has also become one of the cultural symbols and has an important place in the life of the Mong people. Linen also has a very important meaning in the spiritual life of the Mong people. They believe that only flax cultivation and weaving can keep the connection with their ancestors.

Today, linen is once again the center of attention thanks to its high breathability, temperature control, and durability, as well as its eco-friendliness. UNIQLO is one of the leading units in the production and design of fashion with linen. Each wash enhances the nature of linen fabric, creating patterns on the fabric. The line of premium linen shirts for women is made entirely from European linen that meets the highest standards of the European Linen and Hemp Fabrics Union. With the advantage of being breathable and easy to absorb sweat, linen shirts are loved by many people, from the tropics to Europe and around the world.

Cultivation of the European linen used for Uniqlo’s high-quality linen women’s shirt line begins to sow between mid-March and mid-April. The flax is uprooted in late summer. Flax is planted alternately in the same field, every six to seven years flax will be planted with other crops. In order not to degrade the soil, flax is planted on a 5-year rotation plan with other crops such as wheat. Cultivated flax also grows wild in the wild, so no irrigation is required, making it even more popular today.

Freshly plucked flax will be “finely ground” in the field for about two months so that there is a natural separation between the fiber and the straw. After beaming, flax is bundled into rolls and stored. The stem is pounded with a flax threshing machine, to extract the fiber and fiber products. Linen fibers are combed and mixed to ensure uniform quality before spinning.

High-grade linen products often use long and thin linen fibers, because of their superior softness. Uniqlo’s high-quality linen shirt products specifically use only long linen fibers. Of course, the short yarn will not go to waste. They are used for knitting strong and thick yarns, or combined with cotton yarns of the same length to make cotton linen fabrics.

UNIQLO is constantly developing its line of linen products to meet the needs and feedback of customers, including updating and developing the line of linen blends from a combination of linen and cotton or silk. artificial to create more depth. Meanwhile, over the past 20 years, premium linen shirts have been tweaked many times for the right fit and length, with a men’s wrinkle-resistant version just released this season. Another new product is the men’s stand-up shirt. The women’s line has a fresh new stripe option. And the much loved round neck linen shirt from 2019 is back this year in a new color.