Yesterday we went to France in search of flax km.0 , in an attempt to find this material (the only plant fiber native to our continent), as close as possible to San Sebastián. As members of Impact Hub Donostia and promoters of the Little Slow Fashion project , we were invited to a round table organized by the Mugron agricultural high school (Aquitaine, near DAX), whose purpose was to analyze linen production in the area. It is known that since the 18th century in the Basque-Spanish and Basque-French hamlets almost all families produced their own linen mainly as self-sufficiency. The humid climate near the sea is very conducive to the cultivation of flax.
Today, France is the world's leading producer of linen , but in the Basque Country that production is limited to small hectares of oleic flax and some companies that produce linen fabrics but not spinning, which comes from northern France. The aim is to provide the Southwestern area of France with machinery to complete the production cycle, as well as promote the return to textile flax plantations.
Exhibition "Au fil du lin" in Rouge-Garance.
All the guests at the round table, which was held in the beautiful Rogue-Garance building, showed strong interest in the project, from historians, producers, textile workshops, and final consumers , among whom we found the Little Slow Fashion project, with in order to manufacture our summer shirts and children's pants with linen of controlled origin.
Flax plant.
Local artisans showed us the traditional way of making linen, and stated that contact with the wood of traditional utensils was a sensation nothing comparable to working linen industrially. "Manual work ennobles the artisan," said one of the artisans who was an expert in working wool and linen.
Without a doubt a tremendously interesting visit. Next steps about linen in future posts!
Merci Jean-Marc Pecassou pour l´accueil!
Travel companions: Angela from Haiku Futon, from the Circular Hub team, Oihane from Amarenak and Birte, wool and linen artisan.
News in the local press: http://www.sudouest.fr/2017/03/11/ils-ont-la-fibre-creatrice-3268467-3461.php? xtmc=lin&xtnp=1&xtcr=3
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