ABOVE IMAGE:
I’m wearing this linen dress from Innika Choo. I love Innika Choo because she works with ethical and sustainable manufacturers using materials like Ramie and Linen, because they don’t require pesticides, chemicals, or over consumption of water.
In my efforts to make more conscious, sustainable choices around fashion, I’ve been paying a lot of attention to the fabrics used to create clothing. One that has really stood out to me as being one of the most sustainable fabric choices is linen.
Linen is absorbent, breathable, and the fibers are porous. This means it can be worn throughout many different seasons, as it’s great at keeping you cool in the summer but can also be insulating in colder temperatures. Linen is also stronger than cotton and gets better with use, becoming softer and silkier over time. The fact that it gets better with age and is so durable means you will be able to hold onto your linen pieces for many years to come.
I’ve always loved linen and how it reminds me of European summer getaways. But it doesn’t need to be confined to summer months, and I’m excited to fully embrace this fabric throughout all seasons. I’ve rounded up some of my favourite linen pieces from Net-A-Porter (one of my favourite places to shop online, I love their Net Sustain section) at the very bottom of this post. I particularly have my eye on the Reformation linen mini dress. I’m picturing it with black boots for fall and sandals for the rest of summer!
In addition to clothing, I absolutely love linen bedding. We got linen bedding for the first time when we moved to Germany, and I will never go back. Not only does it feel and look luxurious, but because it is both breathable and porous, it does a fantastic job at regulating temperature so you never feel too hot or too cold. I discovered this wonderful shop on Etsy that sells amazing linen bedding in various colours. They also make some lovely clothing and homeware. I definitely recommend checking their shop out here!
ABOVE IMAGE:
The linen dress I’m wearing is sold out, but I found a similar one here. My Hereu straw tote is also sold out (as are most straw bags, definitely a summer favourite!) but I found a similar one here. My head scarf is a pre-owned Hermès silk scarf, but I found a similar pre-owned Hermès scarf here .
MORE REASONS TO LOVE LINEN:
- Growing linen requires less water and fewer resources overall than other materials like cotton. This means less drain on the planet’s resources. According to the European Confederation of Linen and Hemp, “Across its lifecycle, a linen shirt uses 6.4 litres of water” compared to 2,700 litres for a cotton shirt.
- Linen is grown from the flax plant, and very little goes to waste. The seeds can be used to produce linseed oil or flax seeds for consumption.
- Linen naturally requires fewer pesticides, herbicides and fungicides than cotton. So even in the ordinary run of things, it is cleaner to grow. However you can avoid this by looking for organic linen, which means it is grown on registered organic land with organic techniques, but the difference isn’t as dramatic as it is with cotton.
- The durability of linen means it lasts longer than other materials.
- Linen is 100% biodegradable, so any waste will simply decompose rather than sitting in a landfill or floating around the oceans.
As you can see, there are so many reasons to love linen and invest in high quality linen pieces. Linen has proven to be timeless, and since it gets better with age and use, you will be continuously excited to wear your linen garments over and over again. Linen is a win for the environment, and a win for you!
