Irish linen production has an impressive lineage stretching back more than three centuries. Linen, the fabric of Ireland, was an integral part of the economic and cultural life of every town and village in the Emerald Isle throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The reputation for fashioning quality linen products, if not its economic importance, continues through to today in Ireland.

The knowledge of making linen, a fabric drawn from the cultivated flax plant, probably first appeared in Ireland aboard a Phoenician trading galley around 900 BCE, and while it was not until the middle ages that it was widely adopted for clothing, once it did Ireland led the way in production.

Today, Vitruvien Linen continues this fine tradition with the release of its summer line of Irish linen fabrics in an array of seasonal hues such as yellow, blue, pink, green, and more. No time of year is better than summer for the feel of crisp, cool linen on your back, and that is particularly true in hot, humid climes. In addition to the cooling comfort that fine Irish linen provides, it also affords a sense of timeless elegance that the fabric confers upon the wearer.

Whether paired with a pair of cotton slacks for dinner at a fancy restaurant, or tucked into a pair of shorts for a quick trip down to the beach, linen portrays a sense of devil-may-care attitude that is worn like a badge of honor in any social setting. Indeed, it is the only fabric where wrinkles are socially acceptable, and you can wear those wrinkles with pride this summer when you add a Vitruvien Irish linen shirt into your summer collection this season.