Linen for all seasons & all occasions
Flax London is changing perceptions around how and where linen can be worn, using different weights and weaves of the fabric across a diverse range of styles. We are the UK’s only dedicated linen specialist.
A few years ago, we set out on a mission to see what could be done with linen. It is one of the world’s most sustainable clothing fabrics but its versatility has gone largely unnoticed.
The beginning of the journey took us to the linen mills of Northern Ireland, where we found the heavy linens upon which we forged our reputation. What started with winter linen shirts has expanded into a full linen wardrobe that suits all seasons, all occasions, and all people.
But there’s so much more to come. We will continue to push the fabric into new territory, exploring innovative linens that work just as well if not better than the cotton alternatives.
Longevity by design
By studying the styles that have endured over the years, we focus on creating timeless, hard-wearing pieces that will look and feel just as good in 15 years’ time as they do the first day they arrive at your door.
We want to create clothes that people love to wear. If we achieve that, it inevitably means the clothing gets well used and well washed. To counter the idea that something needs to be thrown away when it’s ripped or worn through, we offer free repairs for life. Anyone who buys a Flax London item can get it repaired for free, as and when necessary.
For the very occasional piece that’s beyond repair, we offer an Exchange Programme where you get 20% off a new shirt when you hand the old one in. We can then we repurpose as much of the fabric as possible, ensuring it gets a new lease of life as a tote bag, apron, or even as pocket lining in new items.
Our manufacturing & other materials
Our emphasis on sustainability and timeless design is reinforced by top quality manufacturing and natural materials throughout the clothing we sell.
Our clothes are made in three specialist factories in London and Portugal, who use traditional techniques and machinery to deliver manufacturing that stands the test of time. All of whom suit our requirements of scale, ethical production, and uncompromising approach to quality.
The fabrics we use are all 100% linen. We source them from two mills: Baird McNutt in Northern Ireland and Libeco in Belgium. Both mills combine a legacy of producing the highest quality fabrics with a modern outlook that recognises the need to minimise our impact on the world.
The other materials we use in our clothes are also low-impact, natural options. You won’t find us undoing the good work of linen by sticking polyester labels in the seams or using plastic buttons. In fact, the entire process of getting our shirts from the factory to your door is plastic free.
The Flax London Way
As a brand, we do things a bit differently. We’re exclusively direct-to-consumer, we never go into sale, and we have permanent collections.
We only sell direct through our websites and our shops. And because there are fewer hands to feed in the process, our mark ups don’t need to be overly inflated. We can run a viable business while ensuring you get the best possible product - made in an environmentally and ethically conscious way- for the best possible price.
We also reject the near constant sales cycle which dominates the fashion industry. Our static pricing model means you don’t have to second guess what represents good value with our clothing. You can be assured the value is fair from the outset because we don’t need to build future discounts into our pricing.
In fact, we’re happy to let you know exactly how much it costs us to produce each item as well as where the materials are sourced from and where they’ve been expertly crafted into the permanent collections we are so proud to sell. And because they’re permanent, we never find ourselves in the position of having to dump stock at the end of a season.
Callum & George
Years spent meeting at the British menswear shops lining Berwick Street, Soho and Jermyn Street, St. James’s provided the original inspiration for co-founders George and Callum. Particularly the brands whose collections of soft tailoring straddled the line between formal and work wear.
But it was a belief that so much more could be done with linen that really put the wheels in motion. We knew it was a brilliant summer fabric but why didn’t we wear it outside of heatwaves and holidays? Linen’s famous characteristics of texture and durability should work just as nicely in heavier items.
Our conviction that the world should be wearing more linen was boosted when we found out it is one of the world’s most sustainable clothing fabrics. Linen is created from the flax plant, something of a wonder crop that only gets better the more you dig.
We want Flax London to spearhead a new era of brands that embrace the moral imperative to do things less harmfully and offer low impact, consciously crafted and always stylish clothing.
