On a cobbled street in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter, the Kindred of Ireland boutique is doing brisk trade in linen blouses and tweed jackets, reflecting a broader revival of the fabric that once defined the city. Half a century after the Troubles, Belfast is finding a new identity through linen, the industry that earned it the name Linenopolis. Almost a century after its postwar collapse, linen is returning as a marker of identity.
Amy Anderson, the 32-year-old designer of Kindred of Ireland, says the city has changed enormously over the last two decades. Her grandmother was a mill-worker in Moygashel linen mills, and she notes that most of her generation have relatives who worked in the industry. Anderson's modern aesthetic leans towards Japanese-inspired avant-garde volume, with linen's soft structure anchoring her architectural pieces.
Reviving the virtually extinct linen industry has brought together an unlikely taskforce, including designer Sarah Burton, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and former blacksmith Charlie Mallon. Mallon has repurposed his 150-year-old family farm for regenerative flax growing and processing, restoring heritage machinery to preserve linen's long fibre structure and reduce creasing.
Burton, then at Alexander McQueen, took her team to Northern Ireland for inspiration, visiting the last factory where linen is still 'beetled' – hammered by wooden mallets to add strength and shine. A gown in beetled linen made a star turn on the Paris catwalk. Last autumn, the Andersons met the Prince and Princess of Wales, who showed interest in sustainable fashion and regenerative farming.
The theme of Belfast's fashionable renewal also runs through 'Ashes to Fashion', an exhibition at the Ulster Museum marking the 50th anniversary of a fire that destroyed a 10,000-piece fashion collection. A 1712 quilt that escaped the fire is displayed alongside pieces from Irish designers including Philip Treacy and Kindred of Ireland. A temporary Kindred of Ireland boutique is planned for Mayfair this summer.
