William Smyth lets his machines run under deafening noise. They beat linen to give it a shiny appearance. It is a traditional Irish finishing technique that he is the last person worldwide.
In his mill in Upperlands, a village 70 kilometers west of the Northern Irish capital Belfast, the 59-year-old craftsman is proud to do the “same manual” as its predecessors: inside. The aim is to compress the linen threads to make the fabric thicker and to give it a silky finish.
In over a century, “nobody found a solution to make work easier or to achieve such a finish,” he explains to the news agency AFP and has to raise his voice about the noise of the workshop.
Beating up to 140 hours on the machine are necessary to make the material firmer and to give it a bright shine. The machine is a relic of the once flowering Irish linen industry.
About 40 huge wire hammer, which are reminiscent of Schlegel, constantly hammer on the linen rolls. The woven, moist and strength -soaked rollers slowly turn on the machine.
In the past, “the impact mills along the rivers were scattered all over Ireland, but this is the last one” that produces this type of linen, says Andrew Wilson. He is the director of an agricultural company that invested in the parent company of the mill, the textile company William Clark & Sons. The company, founded in 1736, was put under forced administration at the end of 2024, and “the know-how of William Smyth threatened to disappear,” he emphasizes.
Nevertheless, luxury houses and young fashion designers showed: In the inside in recent years, another interest in the material that is considered more sustainable. The fabric, which is made on a quiet river bank in the stone building, has already been delivered to the fashion house Alexander McQueen and the Northern Irish designer Amy Anderson of Kindred of Ireland.
Linen capital
Three machines are currently in operation and William Smyth ensures that the fabric “does not slip” and does not throw any wrinkles while turning on the rollers.
The craftsman has been working with a linen for 40 years and took over the mill five years ago. Today he is the last “racket” that dominates this craft.
Already at dawn he begins to load the fabrics onto the machines and unload them again. It is a repetitive, lonely work that drives him, because “he loves to see how the fabric changes and turns into a beautiful piece of linen”.
As soon as the beat is over, the craftsman spreads the fabric rolls on the roof beams of the mill, where they dry for almost a month. Then run through one last round on the machine to harmonize the tissue and smooth them wrinkles.
The linen industry, which came up in Ireland in the 18th century, quickly flourished. So much that the city of Belfast received the nickname “Linenopolis” in the following century and exported tablecloths, shirts and handkerchiefs all over the world.
In rural areas and villages such as Upperlands, the farmers built this plant inside, whose fibers were woven, bleached and colored near the mills near the mills.
However, industry experienced a decline in the 20th century when the labor -intensive production of the natural substance was replaced by the production of cheaper art fibers.
Thanks to a handful of faithful, William Clark & Sons survived: inside, including Schneider: Inside from the London Savile Row and buyer: Inside from Japan, reports Managing Director Kevin Devlin.
The linen is used in particular for the interior of high -quality suits in the area of the seams. “If you want the sleeves to last time, this is a first -class material,” he assures the AFP. Although it is more expensive than ordinary linen, “we hope that more designers: inside his finish and his inheritance to appreciate,” says Kevin Devlin.
In the long term, the goal is to set a: n trainee: n to support the almost 60-year-old William Smyth. “We have to find the right person who has an appointment for this traditional method and cannot be deterred by the intensive manual work or the roar of the machines,” he warns.
This article was used with digital tools translated.
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