Flax is a herbaceous plant (Linum usitatissimum) and the natural bast fibre obtained from it; it is the raw material from which linen thread is spun and linen cloth is woven. The fibre is extracted from the stalks through retting, breaking and scutching — an ancient, labour-intensive technology known in Ukraine for centuries. Flax fibre is exceptional: strong, durable, absorbent and antibacterial, it conducts heat well and gives coolness. In Ukraine flax, alongside hemp, was the foundation of home weaving, and linen shirts and towels an inseparable part of daily life and ritual. As a fibre, flax differs from the finished cloth: it is the 'raw-material' side of the textile story. Flax symbolises purity, naturalness and the deep bond of Ukrainian culture with the land and craft.
