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Luxury Bed Linen From Russia

It is really interesting to me that no one in the UK seems to have heard about Russian linen. Everyone knows there is Irish linen but how on earth - with all stories about Siberia and the really bad Russian weather and climate - can there be linen from Russia?

Simple… In Russia, we never had any cotton and through centuries linen became a national treasure.

Linen is the most ancient fabric known to man. For centuries people have been growing flax which is then made into fibre and woven to become linen. Domestication of flax occurred in India and China well before cotton ever did - more than 5,000 years ago.

But despite its venerable age flax remains to be as young as ever and is always in trend.

Flax has been grown in Russia since 2000 B.C. and ancient manuscripts from 1,000 years B.C. contain evidence of linen made by the Slavs. Oriental writers of the time also described Slavs dressed in linen clothing. Prior to the formation of Kievan Russia (pre-Moscow), all Slavic tribes that inhabited the Eastern European plain grew flax. Flax was used to make sailcloth, fishing nets, ropes and linseed oil.

In the 10th-11th centuries A.D. flax was extensively grown for fibre and seed. It was regarded as an important crop both for crafts and commerce. Peasants used it to pay feudal taxes and make payments to the Tsar's treasury. Russian Princes collected tribute in linen.

In the late 19th-early 20th century, Russia emerged as the leading producer and exporter of flax and pure linen fabric among European nations. So popular was linen and its variety of uses that the first standard Government tax imposed in Russia, by Peter the Great, was the standard tax on flax.

Russian linen is a quality product and one of our manufactures was even a supplier of the Russian Royal Court in the 19th century when they were weaving the most beautiful and highest quality damask linen tablecloths and napkins for the Russian Tsars to use and enjoy in their Palaces. So today, with the help of Alenska, you can enjoy the same in your own home!

Nowadays linen flax is one of the main materials used in the manufacture of UK banknotes and improves their useful life. And yes, we can joke about linen having the same value as money…

Here are a few more interesting facts about Pure Linen:

• The famous Turin Shroud (that bears the image of Jesus Christ and was used to wrap his body) is spun from flax fibres. There is also evidence that the towel bearing Christ's image which was not painted by human hands - was also made of linen.
• Prior to the invention of paper, manuscripts were written on linen. One of the most renowned manuscripts - “Linen Book” by ancient Etruscans - was written on linen in the 7th century B.C.
• In ancient Greece linen clothes were the privilege of high priests.
• The famous army leader Alexander the Great wore an armour made of… linen to protect him in battle. It was said to be impenetrable to the enemy’s sword.
• In ancient Russia, linen clothes were worn on festive occasions. The first ever flag in Russia approved by Peter the Great was made of linen.

Irish Linen or Russian Linen – Make your Choice

What to Wear and How to Care…Some facts about well-known Irish linen and unknown Russian linen, about Egyptian mummies and British bank notes, and how to take linen into your bed…

Irish linen is well-known through the world for its fine quality. It is seen as a luxury product which can be treasured through generations. How does this compare to Russian linen...read on and find out.

It is typically of Irish linen suppliers to state that their linen has a thread count of 1200 or more. On the other hand, you will also see the very same companies offering fine Egyptian cotton, which is naturally finer, with a thread count of only 300. How can there be such a difference, you may ask?

The difference is that each linen thread is made by spinning three separate strands of fibre together to form one actual thread of linen. Cotton threads are produced in the same way but somehow those clever Irish linen makers decided to count each of the smaller strands of fibre instead. So that’s where their thread count of 1200 comes from.

To compare like-for-like with cotton, the 1200 they typically quote is really the equivalent of only 400 threads of linen (you divide theirs by 3). This still is the best available thread count for cotton but the difference between the two aboves(Irish v Egyptian) is not as big as it first appears.

According to the Irish Linen Guild, linen probably came to Ireland in early Christian times (for example, St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, is said to be buried in a shroud of Irish Linen). The production of Irish Linen continued through the Middle Ages but it was not until the 17th Century that the industry started to develop in any structured way.

However, there is evidence that flax has been known in Russia for much longer than it has been in Ireland - and since 2000 B.C. We know that ancient Russian manuscripts from 1,000 years B.C. contain evidence of linen made by Slavs.

Russians live with linen flax throughout their life and it inhabits absolutely every household. It might be in clothing, bedding sheets, table linens or even building materials, such as insulation. In Russia, linen has never been acknowledged as a luxury product and has a mostly domestic and home-friendly image. And did you know there is the strong belief amongst Russians that wearing linen clothes from birth will make you live up to 10 years longer!

Egyptian mummies were found wrapped in linen because linen has natural antiseptic properties. I might joke but you are born, wrapped in linen for all of your life to live 10 years longer and then, when you are dead, the linen will keep your corpse lasting forever!

You may call it black humour and we can argue another time on whose sense of humour is more black – English or Russian?

The flax grown in Eastern Europe and Russia is recognized as being the best in the world. This excellence is attributed to three beneficial factors: well-suited soil; a favourable climate; and the methods of experienced flax growers whose prime concern is quality.

A major benefit of flax now gaining even more importance for obvious reasons, is that of sustainable development and concern for the environment. Eastern European linen is environment-friendly and requires only a fifth of the pesticides and fertilizers used for cotton. The reason for this is that the flax crops must be planted in rotation each year and this method does not exhaust the natural goodness in the soil. The processes by which the flax plant is transformed into fibre are eco-friendly. Artificial fibres such as viscose, bamboo or corn require energy and chemicals whereas flax and linen does not.

Being in the laundry/dry cleaning business myself for over 6 years, I can guarantee that linen fabric is the ONLY one which looks better through years of use. It becomes softer, more gentle and it can last forever as it is 12 times stronger than cotton.

Every time I speak to somebody here in England, about linen, I get asked if it is painful to look after and, in particular, is it difficult to iron. Linen is perfectly washable in low temperatures, such as 30-40C (at high temperatures you do need to be careful as linen might shrink) and there is no need to use strong detergents. If we are talking about linen tablecloth, I definitely suggest not only ironing it but using a hint of starch (to make your dining table look good enough for the Queen to sit at). But talking about luxury bed linen, it is your choice – you can iron it and get it crispy fine, or you can simply dry it in a tumble dryer with a couple of tennis balls (the balls will hit the linen and make it soft and cosily creasy)… I personally prefer the second one as it not only saves my time but makes my bed much more welcoming…