It was one of the reasons for the CELC (European Flax and Hemp Confederation), and it has now been achieved: European linen now has a trademark. Dubbed European Flax, as announced by this publication on the 25th of October, this signature, unique to the plant fiber, boast of the quality of European linen on the European target markets.

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"European Flax is intended to promote the European fiber in clothing, lifestyle and technical textiles," said Marie-Emmanuelle Belzung, general secretary of the CELC. "This will be the signature in all we do." An innovation which is coupled with the Master of Linen Club, a group of twenty European textile mills, sourcing 98% scutched linen, as well as weavers and manufacturers sourcing at least 55% in Europe as well.

The announcement was made on the occasion of the Annual General Meeting of the CELC, held in Paris on November 4 and 5 - an opportunity for linen professionals to initiate the second phase of their marketing plan over three years, Be Linen.

After a year dedicated to educating clothing professionals, it is the lifestyle market that has come into focus. The promotional film Be Linen, which garnered accolades in many festivals, entails a sequence dedicated to this sector (see video above).


"Be Linen corresponds perfectly to its purpose: to improve the visibility of linen," said Alain Camillieri, communications director of the Confederation, which also announced the launch of a dedicated website in the beginning of the first quarter of 2012. And that is not all. CELC has in fact established the first European scientific committee dedicated to linen. A book dedicated to the popularization of linen is also in the works, as is a study dedicated to the industry and conducted by the IFM (French Fashion Institute).



As for the international market, for which members of the CELC produce 70% of the world's linen , it remains a powerful vehicle for expansion. "Our Chinese partners have committed a budget of 400,000 dollars for the local promotion of linen in 2012," said Alain Blosseville , President of the CELC, "and in Japan, even if the market loses a bit of speed, we have established a partnership to boost local consumption.” And yet another avenue is being explored as well. "There is also India, which is expressing a growing interest in linen," the President explained, "but this will be at a later stage. Why not imagine a Be Linen Asia.”