A linen garment may take only a few days to cut, sew and finish, but the fabric itself has already travelled through a much longer process before it reaches the cutting table.
That distinction matters. At Souls In Clothes, our pieces are made to order and currently dispatch in 5–7 business days. Delivery time begins after dispatch and varies by destination. The longer story described here is the story of the linen itself — from flax plant to finished cloth — not the time a customer waits after placing an order.
So what happens before a length of linen becomes a dress? Quite a lot.
It begins with flax
Linen is made from flax, a plant that has been cultivated for textile fibre for thousands of years. Much of the flax used for high-quality European linen is grown in Western Europe, where the climate is well suited to the crop.
Unlike cotton, where the soft fibre grows around the seed, the useful flax fibres run through the stem of the plant. To preserve their length, flax is traditionally pulled from the ground rather than simply cut at the base.
Once harvested, the plants are laid out so the next important stage can begin.
Retting releases the fibre
Flax stems contain natural substances that bind the useful fibres to the woody parts of the plant. Retting uses moisture and naturally occurring microorganisms to help loosen those fibres.
In traditional field retting, the flax remains outdoors while dew, rain and changing weather slowly do the work. The crop is turned so the process happens more evenly. It is one of the reasons linen begins with patience long before anyone starts sewing.
After retting, the stems are dried and mechanically processed to separate the long fibres from the woody material. The fibres are then cleaned and combed before they are ready to become yarn.
From fibre to yarn, then cloth
The prepared flax fibres are spun into linen yarn. From there, the yarn is woven into fabric and then finished according to the character the mill wants to achieve.
Some linen is left crisp and structured. Some is washed or softened for a more relaxed hand. Weight, weave and finishing all change how the final garment behaves: whether it holds a sculptural shape, falls close to the body or moves lightly in warm weather.
By the time a roll of finished linen reaches an atelier, a great deal of work has already happened. The cloth carries the decisions of growers, fibre processors, spinners, weavers and finishers before a pattern is ever placed on top of it.
What happens when you place a made-to-order garment order?
This is where the customer's part of the process begins.
We do not start growing flax after an order is placed. The fabric is already sourced. The made-to-order stage is the garment-making stage: preparing the correct pattern and size, cutting the fabric, assembling the piece, finishing it and checking it before dispatch.
For our standard-size pieces, this process is currently planned so that the order dispatches in 5–7 business days. Custom sizing can be incorporated into the cutting stage because the garment is not already sitting finished on a warehouse shelf.
Cutting one garment at a time
Once the order is ready for production, the appropriate pattern is laid out on the fabric. Linen has a visible grain and a natural character, so careful placement matters.
The pieces are marked and cut, then prepared for construction. Working one garment at a time also makes it possible to pay attention to proportions and requested measurements in a way that large pre-cut production runs cannot.
Sewing, pressing and finishing
A garment is not simply sewn together in one continuous pass. Seams are constructed and finished, areas are pressed during assembly, hems and closures are completed, and the final shape is checked.
Pressing is especially important. It is one of the quiet stages that gives a garment its finished structure and helps seams sit correctly.
Before packing, the finished piece is checked again. Only then is it prepared for tracked delivery.
Why make clothes after they are ordered?
Made-to-order production changes the relationship between a garment and inventory.
Instead of producing large quantities in advance and hoping that the predicted mix of sizes and colours sells, the garment is created after someone has chosen it. That reduces the need to hold large quantities of finished stock and gives a small atelier more flexibility.
- More size flexibility. We can offer our women's pieces in standard sizes XS–4XL without needing a finished unit of every size waiting in storage.
- Custom sizing. Measurements can be considered before the fabric is cut, and custom sizing is available at no additional cost.
- More colour choice. Many designs can be made in different colours from the relevant fabric card.
- Less finished-garment overproduction. Production follows real orders rather than a forecast of what might sell.
Made to order does not mean waiting for months
Slow fashion is sometimes described as though slowness itself were the goal. It is not.
The goal is to give the work the time it actually needs without creating unnecessary delay. Our current production time is 5–7 business days before dispatch. After that, the parcel travels with tracking, and transit time depends on the destination.
This gives us enough time to cut and make the garment after it is chosen while still keeping the ordering experience practical for the customer.
The long journey belongs to the material
There is something useful in knowing where the apparent simplicity of a linen garment comes from.
A finished dress may look effortless, but the material has passed through plant, fibre, yarn and cloth before it ever becomes clothing. The garment-making stage is only the final part of that chain.
That is one reason we value linen: not because it is the only fabric worth wearing, but because it has a distinct history, texture and behaviour that cannot be imitated by every textile.
At Souls In Clothes, linen is one of several materials we work with. Across the collection we also use cotton, knit fabrics, wool blends, velvet, taffeta and other textiles chosen for the shape and character of each design.
Explore our dresses and skirts or browse all pieces.