ASH | Conscious Generation

WHY IS LINEN SUSTAINABLE AND WHY IT'S OUR SIGNATURE GARMENT?

As a brand, we are constantly looking for ways to make our products more sustainable and environmentally friendly as much as possible. We love natural garments. We love them for their comfort, functionality, durability and sustainability. But which natural garments are the best? You may have heard that linen is a sustainable fabric, but why? Here we try to uncover some facts about linen, explore linen pros and cons and how it affects the environment.

First of all, let's talk about the majority of baby clothes: cute and... full of hazardous chemicals. Many of these toxic chemicals were created with the intention of making our lives easier, unfortunately, despite them being deemed “safe in small amounts”, we are learning that they are incredibly hazardous to our health, the health of our children and ultimately, our planet. Synthetic textiles are the largest source of primary microplastics accounting for 34.8% of global microplastic pollution. Microfibres are a type of microplastic released when we wash synthetic clothing – clothing made from plastic such as polyester and acrylic. Polyester has several toxic substances that are dangerous to growing children. A baby's skin is thinner than that of an adult. It is, therefore, more permeable and chemicals can seep through much faster. That's where the importance of natural garments begins.

We consciously chose linen and are devoted to keeping your child’s headwear free from anything you wouldn’t want touching their delicate skin.

LINEN IS A NATURAL FIBER MADE FROM FLAX PLANTS

Although the majority of clothes we wear today are either man made or very chemically intensive to produce, we have one nature's gem to use.. As one of the oldest and most-used textiles in the world, linen is the ultimate natural fiber with both functional and ethical appeal. It is made from fibers of the beautiful, blue-flowered flax plant, which grows without the need for fertilizers or pesticides. This means it is a renewable resource, one that is fast growing and can be produced without damaging the environment. ​

FLAX REQUIRES LESS WATER THAN COTTON AND ACTUALLY LOWERS YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

Compared to its thirsty natural fiber competitors, linen production (organic or otherwise) requires very little water - the flax plant can thrive with just rainwater and without pretty good choice. But it’s not just its minimal water use that puts linen at the top of the sustainable fiber rankings. One hectare of flax can take 3.7 tonnes of CO2 out of the atmosphere. That means from all the linen grown in Europe, around 250,000 tonnes of CO2 is removed each year!

NO WASTE IS LEFT

A key reason why linen is a sustainable fabric is because the entire flax plant can be woven into a fiber, which means that almost no waste is left over from the spinning and weaving process. Also, have you seen flaxseed oil? Ground flaxseed food products? Linseed oil for furniture? These are all products of the flax plant, meaning that when it’s picked to produce linen, nothing else has to go to waste.

DURABLE

Linen is one of the most durable fibers, so products sewn from this garments will last for decades. Product quality and sustainable materials always guarantee long lasting use, so it helps to reduce overconsumption. The longer you wear your clothes without replacing, the more sustainably you are dressing.

BREATHABLE AND HIGHLY ABSORBENT

Linen can absorb up to 20% of its weight in moisture while still feeling dry to the touch. The fibers are porous, and are great at keeping you cool in the summer but it can also be insulating in colder temperatures. This versatility allows our headwear to be used all year around. Also, it reflects the ultraviolet rays well making it the perfect choice for the summer season.

HYPOALLERGENIC

As a natural material, linen is the perfect choice for allergy prone skin. Linen garment possesses rare bacteriological properties – it is a natural antiseptic, kills bacteria and fungus, and reduces inflammation. It also means that it will require less frequent washing.

KEEPS GETTING SOFTER

The more linen is washed the softer it becomes. This is an incredible advantage of linen, that means linen clothes actually get better with time.

However it does have a few cons..

- The process to make linen takes more time and work, which generally makes it more expensive. Linen is a luxury fabric and remains expensive, that’s no accident. It's a painstakingly slow fabric to produce and is grown in developed countries such as Europe where the cost of labor is higher. Yet this produces a high quality garment that will last for decades, making it a worthwhile investment.
- The wrinkling can be a con, but we think you just need to be mindful of the kind of garments you choose.
- Although linen fibres are strong, they do not stretch due to their low elasticity. What this means is that if it is repeatedly folded and ironed in the same place, it will eventually weaken, fade and break.

Overall, aside from its aesthetic appeal, there are lots of reasons that linen is increasingly on-trend. The feeling of linen is lovely, the texture and softness is unique, and the fact that it just gets better with age will make you want to hang on to our linen headwear forever. Safe choice for your children, safe choice for our planet too.

JULY, 2022

JULY, 2022