Introducing the East London linen brand changing the scene.
Says Faye Hardy
Founded by Christina Chin in 2021, LOUAL transforms off-cut Irish linen into sustainable fashion and homeware pieces.
After moving to London, Christina was on the hunt for ethically made, trend-less textiles to fill her first home but found a lack of indie options on the market. Together with the rise in ‘fast homeware’ and her background in fashion, the LOUAL brand was born. Unlike other linen brands, LOUAL is all about “home and wardrobe products to have fun with,” whilst also delivering a commitment towards sustainability.
“The LOUAL style is refined yet effortless. We aim to make it easy to throw on”
100% Irish linen is at the heart of LOUAL’s pieces and coming from the flax plant means it is a naturally sustainable fibre to work with. Using less water and pesticides than cotton, alongside the fact that all parts of the plant can be used within the production process, makes it a hero material when it comes to sustainable fashion. After the cloth is woven in Ireland, it gets sewn and finished by a small manufacturer in Bow in East London. Talk about transparency ‘eh.
“We aim to make it easy to throw on an Irish Linen set and feel ease and comfort yet always elegant and sophisticated,” says Christina. And by focusing on cut, tailoring and bold colour combos, that’s exactly what LOUAL does. The current collection features versatile co-ord sets including the likes of cropped shirts, wide leg trousers, unisex tops, dani dresses and shorts. Homeware-wise there’s tea towels, napkins, large towels and tote bags, with everything coming in seriously gorge colours, from rose pink to bright yellows to more neutral tones likes sand, white and black. We’ll take one of everything please.
LOUAL is the dressed-up linen brand you didn’t know you needed. Centred around the rooms in the home where we socialise and host, it connects the dots between our homes and our wardrobes. And by offering both wardrobe and homeware pieces, LOUAL is able to make the most of minimising waste by using as much off-cut linen as possible.
When it comes to future collections, Christina says that “any product developed must truly deserve the resources, time and energy needed to make it the best it can be,” and that’s why all of LOUAL’s clothing pieces will be based on their hero items. “We love taking products in which we have nailed the cut and playing around with using new colours” she adds.
As a young brand, Christina is still on the search for LOUAL’s own studio space which will eventually allow us Londoners to try on and purchase the pieces directly. She’s also keen to start working on collaborative projects with like minded brands, and her first pop-up will be coming this September (more deets soon).
And when we ask her how us Londoners can embrace the world of slow fashion within our wardrobes, she says “if you are interested in discovering and learning more about slow fashion, make sure to keep exploring on social media, visiting brands and supporting at pop ups”. Simple.
And if you’re after some recs, Christina gives a nod to Retold Vintage which has “absolute gems in their curated drops”, alongside Lage Jewellery which is creating “stunning textural and sculptural pieces. The story of the brand is so beautiful too, pieces are meant to be worn as a reminder of the importance of daydreaming”. Not forgetting Uri Bags, handmade by female Filipino artisan communities and made using fibres that they plant themselves. So, if you’re looking for some new linen, LOUAL is defo the direction you wanna be heading in.