【Special Order】Linen is the way to go for everyday clothes. Life with fog linen work linen wear. 

For everyday clothes and "one-mile wear" that let you relax and let your shoulders down, you want something easy and simple. Still, you don't want to look sloppy when you step outside your front door, and if you're going to wear something, you might as well look stylish in it. fog linen work's linen wear delivers exactly that kind of effortless polish. This time, we're introducing a specially ordered patterned piece from fog linen work, with a crisp, refreshing feel to wear.

fog linen work's linen room wear has been featured many times on ZUTTO, and it's one of our most beloved brands with many devoted fans. What makes it so appealing across the board is that it's "a step above pajamas meant just for sleeping." In a word, it falls into the category of "one-mile wear," but once you try it on, you'll find it so comfortable and stylish that you'll want to head out into town in it, not just around the block. One-mile wear refers to clothing comfortable enough to wear at home, yet presentable enough to step out in for a quick errand within about a mile (roughly 1.6 km). It's relaxing to wear at home, but has a stylishness that pajamas simply don't offer.

... fog linen work's Lithuanian-born linen 

Linen is a natural material that's exceptionally well suited to long-term use. Linen is made from the fibers of a plant called flax, and if you look closely at the structure of the fibers, you'll notice they're actually hollow. Thanks to this structure, linen has the reassuring quality of "growing stronger when wet," which is a great advantage when it comes to washing. It also absorbs and releases moisture readily, quickly soaking up sweat and drying fast, which is why so many people favor it from spring through summer.

fog linen work's linen comes from Lithuania. Everything from weaving the fabric to cutting and sewing is carried out at partner factories in Lithuania. The Lithuanian people, who have lived alongside flax for generations, know all about how to weave linen fabric and turn it into finished products, and they send linen fabric made with outstanding skill to customers all over the world. Linen born in Lithuania this way is called "Lithuanian linen," and it's cherished by many as a high-quality linen with a long tradition passed down through generations.

So what characterizes Lithuanian linen? Interestingly, there isn't really one defining feature that makes something "Lithuanian linen." Among the linen spun in Lithuania, you'll find some with a coarse, rustic feel and others spun finely for a delicate impression—the texture and feel vary surprisingly widely. Much like how a popular fruit can come in countless varieties, this diversity within Lithuanian linen seems to speak to just how deeply woven linen has been into the fabric of Lithuanian daily life over such a long history.

fog linen work selects the Lithuanian linen best suited to each product—wear, sundries, and so on—choosing from among these varied textures. If you touch the wear itself, you'll notice it has that characteristically dry feel of linen, while visually the fabric has a certain sheen. This carefully, tightly woven fabric gives off an unmistakable sense of being built to last, with a sturdiness that won't easily give way.

Many of the Lithuanian people involved with fog linen work are known for their solid, no-nonsense character—serious, conscientious people who apply exacting standards even to something as simple as inspecting the fabric. That kind of careful work and attentiveness may well be part of why Lithuanian linen is so beloved in Japan.

Here's a summary of what makes linen so good.

・Resistant to stains, can be washed repeatedly, and stays clean.

・Durable and long-lasting.

・Highly absorbent.

・Breathable and pleasant against the skin.

Linen is also well known for how dramatically its texture changes between when it's brand new and after it's been worn in. When you first start wearing it, it has a crisp, stiff feel, but after being worn and washed a number of times, it gradually softens into a supple, relaxed texture. The way you dry it also affects its appearance: if you prefer a more rustic look, you can simply shake it out well after spinning and hang it to dry, wearing it without ironing at all; if you prefer a crisper look, a quick pass with the iron gives it a neat, put-together appearance.

Left: brand new / Right: worn for several years

Left: brand new / Right: worn for several years

... Bringing linen into your room wear. 

Since it's something you use every day, it's nicer to have something simple and unpretentious rather than something showy. Even so, fog linen work is particular about using materials that are a cut above the ordinary. The result of ZUTTO placing a special order with fog linen work along these lines is the [Special Order] Lotus One-Piece in Glen Check.

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The silhouette is a moderately flared A-line, giving a relaxed fit that gently envelops the body. The length is long enough to cover just below the knee, and the hem is cut with a front-back difference in length so that it balances nicely whether you pair it with leggings or pants underneath. For the fabric, we chose a Glen check linen so that adults can wear linen—which can easily look too casual—in a more polished way.

Since the Glen check is a familiar pattern often used for suits and jackets, this dress has a rustic feel while still looking neat and put-together. This touch of polish is exactly why we recommend it as a fashionable everyday piece, and there are many ways to style it. Of course you can wear it casually on its own, but on chillier days you can also layer a turtleneck or a thin knit underneath, letting you enjoy a variety of styling options depending on the season.

It's designed to be worn with the buttons on the back closed. This keeps the area around the neck looking clean, and when viewed from behind, the buttons become a nice accent. This is one of the design details that stands out precisely because the overall look is so simple and easy to wear.

Being able to relax at home and still feel lovely, even without trying too hard, is a shortcut to a more thoughtful, mindful way of living. Wearing pajamas that simply make you happy to put on should help bring a richer, more contented feeling to everyday life. The Spica Linen Night Shirt Half [Special Order] Stef has a shorter hem and sleeves, making it easy to wear regardless of the season, and also a good fit for those with a shorter stature.

Worn by a staff member who is 162cm tall, the sleeves come to about three-quarter length, and the hem falls around the knee. True to fog linen work's style, it's roomwear with little of the typical "pajama" feel, so we recommend pairing it with pants or room leggings, tunic-style, if you want to wear it as one-mile wear. The refreshing navy and white check pattern suits linen beautifully, and the darker color is also reassuring when doing a bit of housework.

The [Special Order] Linen Dress is roomwear made exclusively for ZUTTO, with long sleeves that let you wear it comfortably across a longer stretch of the year. Because it has a collar, it doesn't look too much like roomwear, making it a dress you can relax in both at home and when heading out. The body is cut with plenty of room, so there's no feeling of tightness, and it's comfortable enough to sleep in too.

The length falls below the knee, and the hem has a front-back difference in length so that it balances nicely whether paired with leggings or pants underneath. It comes in two colors: a natural shade that suits linen well, and a gray-white stripe with fine stripes running through gray fabric. On chillier days you can layer a turtleneck underneath, and in spring and summer you can pair it with leggings and sandals for good airflow—a truly versatile dress for any occasion.

The blue-green of ZUTTO's special-order color "Paul" feels especially cool and refreshing—a piece reminiscent of a nostalgic summer evening breeze. The dress, with its check pattern shown off beautifully, seems to remind us of the joy of staying stylish right up until the moment we drift off to sleep. The French sleeves come down to just where they cover a bit of the upper arm, showing off the arms beautifully. With a moderately open key-neck collar and a long length that covers the calves, it's designed to make the wearer look elegant and refined.

Although it's long, this one also has a slit, so it's easy to move your legs and stay active while doing housework. It comes in just one size with plenty of room through the body, making it a welcome gift for Mother's Day or birthdays.

... On caring for linen, and how simple it really is. 

Linen is a material prized for its pleasantly distinctive texture and casual feel. Because it's so durable, it's easy to wash it the same way as other fabrics without giving it much thought. And that's fine, of course—but if you want to make the most of linen's characteristic quality of becoming softer and fluffier with use, gaining more character over time, you'll want to know the right way to wash and dry linen (asa).

The key points for washing are:

・Use a neutral detergent (no fluorescent brighteners or bleach)

・Fold the item and place it in a laundry net

・Rinse thoroughly (leftover detergent can cause yellowing)

When you put items into the laundry net, are you just scrunching them in? Linen wrinkles more easily than many other fabrics. Try to fold shirts and pants neatly before putting them in, and if possible, place just one item per net.

・How to hang it to dry

If you love the natural, washed look of linen fabric, it's best to shorten the spin cycle in the washing machine, or skip the spin altogether. This is called "wet drying"—taking the item out of the washing machine while it's still dripping wet and hanging it up just as it is. Even when hand-washing, hang it up without wringing it out.

 Doing this lets the weight of the water pull out some of the wrinkles as it dries, so you can get a fairly neat finish even without ironing. By the way, a wet-hung shirt took about 3 hours to dry (in summer, in a bathroom with the window open).

Of course, there's nothing wrong with spinning it in the washing machine as usual—in that case, snapping the fabric firmly a few times before hanging it up will help keep wrinkles down as it dries.

There are just three more points to keep in mind so you can keep wearing your linen beautifully for years to come.

・Don't use a dryer

Putting linen (asa) in a dryer will cause it to shrink. It can also lose its shape, so please never use a dryer on it. 

・Hang it to dry in a well-ventilated, shaded spot

Direct sunlight can cause linen (asa) to fade and discolor. Be sure to choose a shady spot with good airflow for drying. Fading is especially a concern with linen items in beautiful colors—in those cases, turn the item inside out before hanging it to minimize the effect on the outer surface.

・Bring it in as soon as it's dry

Linen (asa) dries faster than many other materials, so if you check on it at the same time you would check on other laundry, it may end up over-dried and stiff.

These are, roughly speaking, the main points to watch. Writing them out like this, you can see there's really nothing to be overly worried about.

Every item in fog linen work's ZUTTO exclusive series is designed to be worn both as loungewear and out and about. Lithuanian linen has a way of charming everyone, from those who care deeply about materials to those who don't think about it much at all—and it settles into our everyday lives as though it's always belonged there.