(The thumbnail photo shows the sawtooth roof of a Kyoto hemp/linen textile factory that began operations in 1921.)
(The following is a summary of our Threads post from 6/19.)
Before trying to forecast where “rising linen prices” are headed, I felt it would be better to trace the history of linen in Japan. I have a hunch that history holds clues for the future. Sorry—this is another long read (if you’re interested)!
Today, linen is widely recognized and has become an indispensable natural fiber. Many people are captivated by its gentle hand, softness, and comfortable feel. What’s not widely known, however, is that linen is not native to Japan; it was first introduced as a government policy in the latter half of the Meiji era.
• A fiber introduced as part of industrial development
In the Meiji period, the government’s first priority was to build military capabilities on par with the great powers. As Japan imported and emulated Western systems, it needed to procure not only arms and ammunition but also uniforms and gear. That meant domestically producing the “strongest fiber” available at the time—linen (flax). This is where the story begins.
• Prosperity up to the early Shōwa era, then postwar decline
How do you produce linen domestically? The government learned techniques in Europe, began cultivating flax (the raw plant for linen) in Hokkaidō, and launched Japan’s first linen spinning (around 1900).
Expanding the military as national policy boosted demand for linen and established it solidly in Japan’s industrial landscape. The same happened in Europe, where linen broadened its applications as a technical textile. Early aircraft, for example, actually used linen canvas.
After World War II, however, the textile market changed drastically. The advent of synthetic fibers pushed linen out of many industrial uses—synthetics were durable and could be mass-produced cheaply.
During this major turning point, flax fields and spinning disappeared from Japan. Uses dwindled to niches such as oil-painting canvas and interlinings for luxury suits. This was the “first crisis” in Japan’s linen history (around the 1950s).
• Shifting currents in the fashion market
During postwar reconstruction, Western clothing became mainstream in Japan, and apparel flowed from both domestic and overseas makers (around the 1960s). Europe retains a tradition of luxury linen apparel (e.g., since the 14th century, 100% linen garments were a French court luxury). European maisons increasingly featured linen in collections. As hand-spun artisanal linen gave way to mechanized mill production (lowering costs versus the past), designers adopted linen season after season.
That trend reached Japan—longing for “Western” fashion—where linen took hold as a stylish item. The idea that “linen is essential for chic fashion” spread, and linen shifted from an industrial material to a fashion fabric (1970s).
• A huge linen boom hits Japan
With the asset bubble, Japan’s fashion market boomed. Linen rode that wave. Large volumes of linen yarn were imported from Europe, woven and dyed domestically, and shops overflowed with product. Most of it, however, was “bubble-era clothing”: shoulder-padded suit sets, quite different from today’s favored linen styles. At the time, linen yarn and fabrics were astonishingly expensive (1980s).
• Bubble collapse and the slump
During the boom, cheaper substitutes for pricey 100% linen proliferated: linen–cotton, linen–ramie, linen–polyester, and more. Compared with pure linen, many of these (frankly) lacked refinement and ended up “betraying consumers.” You began to hear “hemp/asa feels prickly.” Yet European bed-linen linen, used for generations, isn’t prickly—the culprit was ramie mixed into blends (I’ll stop here before industry stakeholders object…).
• A major production shift (from Europe to China)
The boom faded, consumers turned away, and linen was stigmatized as “luxury but itchy.” Imported yarns and fabrics were bargained down, became dead stock in distribution, and the slump dragged on.
Meanwhile, globalization pushed European spinners to relocate to lower-wage regions (Africa, the former Eastern Bloc, China). China already had state-run linen spinners using domestic flax and thus the equipment base. Riding reform and opening, Chinese firms ultimately took over much of global linen spinning. Linen yarn prices fell sharply in the 1990s. Quality lagged Europe initially, but costs dropped dramatically—laying the groundwork for today’s expanded linen market.
• The rise of select shops and a broader linen market
As Japan’s market shifted from department stores to specialty “select shops,” the “natural lifestyle” segment took off. With the growth of private-label development, linen made a comeback. Chinese linen fabrics improved rapidly—higher quality at lower cost. For example, a women’s shirt that sells today for ¥14,000 at a department store might have been around ¥39,000 in the 1990s. It’s not a simple one-to-one comparison, but the shift from a Europe-based to a China-based supply chain expanded Japan’s linen market and made the fiber familiar again.
• From commoditization to the present
Since the 2000s, the linen market has continued expanding. Major trading houses and jobbers entered; even fast-fashion brands incorporated linen. Once stable volume was achievable, linen effectively became a commodity—widely available and loved by many fans. At last, linen’s inherent values—beauty, gentleness, comfort, and daily usability (the lifestyle qualities Europeans cherish)—began resonating broadly with users, in a way they didn’t during the industrial-material and bubble eras.
Roughly 100 years of (Japan-only) linen history: industrial material → slump → fashion fabric → bubble → bubble burst → slump → revival as a natural-lifestyle textile → widely loved material → (raw-material price surge). Where do we go from here? Learning from history, I’ll share a forecast in a later thread.
