It's made from the fibers of the flax plant and it's extremely labor intensive but the fiber is very absorbent and garments made of linen are valued for their exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather. Many products are made of linen such as aprons, bags, all sorts of towels, napkins, bed linens, tablecloths, runners, chair covers, and men's and women's clothing. In the old days "linens" also referred to lightweight undergarments such as shirts, chemises, lingerie (a word also cognate with linen), and detachable shirt collars and cuffs. All of these items were almost exclusively made out of linen. The inner layer of fine composite cloth garments, like jackets, was traditionally made of linen, hence the word lining.
Linen fabric feels cool to the touch unlike cotton, it is smooth which makes the finished fabric lint-free, and gets softer the more it is washed. Constant creasing in the same place will form sharp folds and it will break the linen threads, this type of wear shows up in collars, hems, and any area that is iron creased during laundering. Linen has poor elasticity and does not spring back readily, which is why it wrinkles so easily. It's a very durable, strong fabric and one of the few that are stronger wet than dry. The fibers do not stretch and are resistant to damage from abrasion however because linen fibers have a very low elasticity, the fabric eventually breaks if it is folded and ironed at the same place repeatedly over time.
This type of fabric has a particular charm about it since it can wrinkle easily, you'll never want to tumble dry it too long, and iron it when it's damp because it's easier that way. But the best way is to hang dry it on a good hangar so that gravity will pull the wrinkles out without the use of ironing. A characteristic often associated with linen is the presence of "slubs", small knots which occur randomly along its length. Slubs were considered to be defects and were associated with low quality linen however many present-day linen fabrics, particularly in the decorative furnishing industry, slubs are considered to be part of the aesthetic appeal of an expensive natural product. They do not compromise the integrity of the fabric, and therefore they are not viewed as a defect just like the hairiness or slubiness of Japanese Denim.
Now you know a bit about linen, we love the fabric, it's hard to get ahold of but one of the best out there for those hot and humid days. Some jeans are made from a mixture of cotton/linen so go ahead and look for those too.We know you won't regret it! But always remember that Irish Linen is the strongest linen when wet, so if you're in a rainy area where it gets quite hot, then go ahead and seek out some Irish Linen, it's worth it. Or, you can just find some regular linen too, it's strong too.