When you are travelling, learning about a country’s past makes you appreciate its present.
Many companies also turn to the past to see how things were done and what they
can learn from old methods and traditions. One such Irish company is Francis M.
It is on a mission to revive the production of luxury linen in Ireland.
With so many people all over the world wanting good quality
and well-made products, Francis M has left behind the swirls and flourishes of
yesteryear and set about producing a simple elegant line that will stand the
test of time. “The simpler the design, the more exacting the craft” is the
company’s ethos.
Linen production in Ireland has had its highs and lows. A
hundred years ago it was the main producer. Today most of the mills have
closed but Francis M’s CEO Sean Moran believes that there is always a market
for quality products.
“I worked as an advertising agency executive in New York
City for 15 years and holidays home would inevitably involve time in airports
wandering duty free shops,” he says. “In Ireland we grew up in a house
filled with fine linen. Linen was slept on, dined on, inherited, bought at
auction and each piece had a real use and story.
“The airport linen merchandise, as well as in Irish gift
stores across the country, was altogether different. It comprised of prim
handkerchiefs, wedding ring cushions, twee napkins, and christening gowns all
adorned with lace, shamrocks, swirls and Celtic flourishes. I’d
routinely shake my head at these products and say to myself ‘could do
better’.”
Moran returned to Ireland to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and become a
tea merchant launching Ireland’s first speciality tea company. But the idea of
founding a linen company never really died.
It was one summer, having well-heeled American friends in
their 70s staying with him, that propelled him into action. Over breakfast,
having slept so well that night, they asked him if the bedding they had slept
on was pure linen, and when he said yes, of course, they wanted to know if it
was woven in Ireland.
This conversation prompted Moran into action “It was a
moment which confirmed to me that the story and caress of the rich wrinkle is
like none other and makes for the most luxurious sleeping in the world,” he
says. “It also made me realise that
globally there is a generation or two who are completely unaware that linen
weaving has a pecking order and that Ireland creates something far superior.
And so Francis M was born.
He has formed good working relationships with the last of
the weaving sheds to capitalise on their expertise to learn what are the
important skills that have been handed down generation to generation and how to
ensure that they are well implemented for today’s needs. It is the know-how
that makes Irish linen so sought after. “The fineness of the woven cloth that
is still achievable by Irish spinners and weavers today is what makes the
fabric unparalleled,” Moran adds. The product range is importantly useful, and,
in Moran’s words “unashamedly proper and traditional”.
According to Moran, his linen increases its strength when
wet so it can stand up to being laundered time and time again even at extremely
high temperatures. He also points out that it becomes softer after each wash.
So if you are looking for a taste of Ireland at home and quality linens that
are not mass-produced check out his website (francis-m.com).
By Daralyn Danns
