When I interviewed Marq Rise, Virgil Abloh's preferred stylist and founder of slow-fashion label Galilee By Sea, he raised an interesting point that didn’t make it into the final article, though it’s been swirling around my thoughts for the past few weeks. Rise said he has an inherent dislike of linen built up through years of seeing the fabric utilized almost exclusively in fitted summer suits and shirts. They’re too preppy, too old money, it’s not his vibe, fair enough. But a lightweight, roughly 34,000-year-old fabric with a crisp texture doesn’t deserve to be so boxed in.

Rise challenged himself to create the first linen item he genuinely liked, a loose tracksuit of flowing pants and an asymmetrically zipped jacket. It’s an unexpectedly sporty place to find a fabric usually worn by off-duty finance bros, but it’s nothing compared to other linen experiments from a small subsection of designers on a similar wavelength to Rise.

Turns out this summer shirting fabric can even create rugged waterproof jackets. 

Middle Distance, an outdoorsy fashion label self-described as a design consultancy exploring “the boundary between craft and technology” (and one-half of experimental workwear label Working), has made linen mountain-appropriate.

The brand’s “FOG” jacket laminates a chemical-free, bio-based waterproof and breathable membrane developed by Swiss textile lab Dimpora AG between Irish linen and a knitted nylon mesh lining. Essentially, it performs like any GORE-TEX-lined jacket — and features all the expected taped seams, waterproof zippers, and cords to adjust the fit — while being somewhat biodegradable. And even better, the linen outer will soften and build texture over time in the way only natural fibers can without hindering the jacket’s performance.

It’s undeniably clever stuff. And it mirrors developments from a couple of similarly innovative brands.

Stone Island Ghost, the Italian sportswear brand’s minimal high-end sub-label, bonds linen to ultra-light nylon jersey and adds a water-repellent finish, creating performance outerwear with linen’s signature woven texture, like the light-washed navy field jacket recently worn by footballing legend Paolo Maldini. Meanwhile, Loro Piana, the world’s fanciest fabricmaker (which is low-key also a skilled hiking brand), treats its linen outerwear with its invisible water-repellent rain system to create a weatherproof yet breathable jacket. 

Linen might be one of the most ancient fabrics in the world, but it's capable of some pretty advanced stuff. It just took a few imaginative designers to figure out its full potential.

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