Masters of Linen reveals fabric developments
01/10/2012
The association revealed 30 versions of a zipped sweatshirt using woven and flat or circular knit techniques, enriched by creative yarns and blends.
“Historically, linen has had difficulties in producing a fine yarn,” said Susan McHugh of Masters of Linen to sportstextiles.com. “We have been working with our spinners to improve the quality of the yarn so now we can produce something as fine as a t-shirt weight.”
Masters of Linen and CELC together represent 10,000 companies, aiding research and development and supporting the industry from farmers through to finished product.
Ms McHugh said that as a material, there are additional, environmental benefits to using linen. “Ours is a sustainable story – when you grow flax, you don’t water it, which is extremely unusual for a plant fibre, and it’s a rotation crop, so it leaves nutrients behind for other crops.”
She added that the latest developments have made it a much more versatile product. “In terms of sportswear, you can do all sorts of things with linen. You can mix it with other products – alpaca, wool, cotton or cashmere – to achieve different properties. Or you can coat it with polyurethane or other coatings to make it waterproof.”
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