Linens from Ireland with a rich heritage
In January 2019 Kat attended the London Textile Fair for the first time. Thousands of stands displaying millions of fabrics attract buyers from big fashion houses and high-street chains as well as students and artisans from small companies like ours.
My favourites from all this choice were the Irish linens from Baird McNutt and from Emblem Weavers.
I have been buying from both companies ever since. Baird McNutt’s brand heritage stretches back 220 years to the Kellswater river of Antrim, with generations of traditional skills in weaving and dyeing. The founder of Emblem Weavers, Jim Conway, used his 21st birthday money in 1962 to buy two second-hand looms; he made a yarn winder from a bicycle wheel and set up his linen business in a Dublin basement, selling door-to-door.
Unlined Irish linen jacket layered with a waistcoat in vintage indigo-dyed fabric and an old linen shirt.
Row of Irish linen waistcoats in earthy colours. Perfect to coordinate with you other BlueBarn.Life garments
Summer skirt in finest Irish linen, caught in a moment of bright evening sunshine. The design is based upon the costumes worn by the March sisters in the film Little Women.
Heap of checked Irish linens newly arrived from Emblem Weavers.
Contemporary designers, ancient origins
Linen is one of the oldest known fabrics, with dyed flax fibres being found in Georgia dating back thousands of years, and linen used for burial shrouds by the ancient Egyptians. The linen industry accounted at one time for up to 40% of the working population in Northern Ireland, but its popularity dwindled during the twentieth century until the fabric began to make a comeback, partly due to promotion by designers such as Paul Costelloe and more recently, Alexander McQueen.
Early morning light on Irish linen garments awaiting their buttons
Sustainable, slow fashion made with Irish Linen
At BlueBarn.Life we choose linen because it is a durable fabric which just gets better with age, perfect for our ethos of sustainable fashion. Every part of the flax plant is used and both the growing of flax and its processing to fabric takes less water than is required for producing cotton fabric, so it has an eco-friendly credential. It’s also wonderfully versatile, with fine Irish linens perfect for our big Poldark-style shirts and summer dresses, and heavier ones for casual jackets and waistcoats.
Sizzling hot colours for a bold bright sun-dress in Baird McNutt Irish linens. Each layer gathered onto the one above in a style reminiscent of the 1970s
Timeless beauty in Irish linen, here at School House Farm. The tiered skirt is pleated onto the waistband and the shirt, in fine, denim-coloured linen, is flamboyantly gathered at collar, shoulder seams and cuffs.
Emblem weavers will produce short lengths of Irish linen in a huge range of colours.