Alice Hume, a textile artist and graduate of Winchester School of Art, recently led a hands-on workshop in flax processing for first-year students on the university’s new sustainable luxury textiles course.
Ms Hume, who is based in Portsmouth, said: “I started growing flax in 2022, and I couldn’t believe you can grow it in this country – it’s amazing that you can literally grow your own linen.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to grow your own materials, and it makes you appreciate how much work goes into producing linen.”
Flax, which grows into tall stems and produces blue flowers, can be processed into linen through a series of traditional techniques involving breaking up dried flax stems to reveal the long hair-like fibre inside. These are then combed and woven to create linen.
Dr Elaine Igoe, course leader and associate professor of textiles, said: “There is a lot of work happening to bring flax production back to agriculture in the UK.
“It grows in just 100 days and can be processed at an industrial scale to create linen cloth for fashion and interiors.”
Students said the session helped them think more deeply about the origins of the materials used in textiles and fashion.
