Why Linen and Cotton Are Made for Plus-Size Clothing

For too long, plus-size clothing has been dominated by fast fashion, synthetic fabrics: polyester dresses that trap heat, stretchy tops that cling or don't sit right. 

At Gertrude & Loom, we believe plus-size women deserve something better. Clothing designed on plus-size bodies, for plus size bodies, cut and sewn from quality materials. 

Our first collection combines two of the world’s most enduring natural fibres: long-staple European linen blended with cotton.

Together, they offer the breathability of linen, the softness of cotton and the structure needed to create beautifully constructed plus-size garments. We are using certified organic (GOTS) fabrics to ensure ecological farming and manufacturing practices and fair-wages. 

Natural fibres make a difference

The fabric used in a garment influences almost everything: how it feels against your skin, how it drapes from the body, how comfortable it is in warm weather and how long it lasts.

This is especially important in plus-size clothing. It's far easier to design garments that stretch to fit. Designing from cloth involves deep understanding of plus-size bodies and common fit issues. It required engineering solutions so the garments fit well, feel comfortable and look amazing. 

Linen is naturally breathable

Linen is one of the most breathable fibres available. Air can circulate through the fabric, allowing body heat to escape rather than becoming trapped against the skin.

That matters when there is more surface area in contact with clothing or when garments sit closely around the bust, stomach, thighs and upper arms.

Instead of relying on thin synthetic fabric to create the illusion of lightness, linen provides genuine airflow. It can feel cool and comfortable while still having enough substance to skim the body and softens over time.

Linen is also naturally moisture absorbent. It can take in moisture without immediately feeling wet or heavy, making it particularly comfortable during warm summers, humid days and the hormonal temperature changes many women experience through perimenopause and menopause.

Cotton brings softness and familiarity

Cotton is soft, breathable and comfortable against the skin. It is a fibre most of us already know and trust.

When combined with linen, cotton softens linen’s naturally crisp texture and gives the fabric softness and reduces wrinkles. It also helps create garments that feel comfortable from the beginning while still developing greater softness over time.

For women who find pure linen too coarse or rigid, a linen-and-cotton blend can provide a beautiful middle ground.

It retains linen’s breathability and character while adding cotton’s softness and wearability.

The right amount of structure matters

Comfort is often confused with stretch. Stretch can certainly be useful, but it is not the only way to make plus-size clothing comfortable.

Linen and cotton can provide enough structure to hold the garment’s intended shape while still allowing room for the body to move. Rather than gripping the body, the fabric can fall away from it.

Synthetic jersey fabrics are often used in plus-size fashion because they are inexpensive and can stretch across a wide range of measurements.

A woven linen-and-cotton fabric has more body. When the garment has been properly cut, it can skim the silhouette rather than sticking to it.

This does not mean hiding the body. It means allowing the design of the garment to be visible rather than asking the fabric to trace every contour underneath it.

Gertrude & Looms garments feature: 

• carefully placed pleats
• A-line shapes
• roomy sleeves
• adjustable elements
• partial elastic waistbands
• generous pockets
• considered ease through the bust, stomach and hips

The result is clothing that creates shape without requiring the wearer’s body to conform to it.

Natural fibres improve with wear

Fast-fashion fabrics are often at their best on the day they are purchased. From there, they may pill, stretch, fade or become misshapen.

Good-quality linen and cotton tendtell a different story.

They soften with washing and wear. The fibres relax. The garment begins to feel increasingly personal while retaining the character of the original fabric.

Linen is meant to crease. Those creases are not a defect or a sign that the wearer has failed to look polished. They are part of the fabric’s texture and movement.

A linen-and-cotton garment does not need to look untouched to look beautiful.

It is designed to be lived in.

Durability matters in plus-size fashion

Plus-size garments can experience additional pressure at areas such as the inner thighs, underarms, seat, elbows and waistband.

That makes fabric quality and construction especially important.

Natural fibres alone cannot guarantee durability, but strong linen-and-cotton fabric, combined with thoughtful patternmaking and careful seams, can create garments intended for repeated wear.

At Gertrude & Loom, we are not interested in producing clothing that is worn for a season and then forgotten. 

We're creating garments intended to become part of a wardrobe: worn to work, to dinner, to an exhibition, on a weekend away and again the following year.

How Gertrude & Loom combines linen and cotton

The first Gertrude & Loom collection uses a European-flax linen and cotton blend selected to balance breathability, softness and structure.

Our lighter-weight fabric is used for blouses and tops, where movement and airflow are essential. A more substantial version is used for trousers, skirts and dresses, giving these garments the body they need to hold their shape and provide coverage.

The collection includes:

The Unfurling Blouse

Designed with an opening petal sleeve that creates room around the upper arm without sacrificing detail. The breathable linen-and-cotton fabric allows the sleeve to hold its shape while remaining comfortable.

The Resolute Blouse

A sculptural blouse with a pleated statement sleeve. The blend provides enough crispness to show the sleeve construction while cotton softens the overall feel.

The Atelier Top

A clean, boxy top with a short peaked sleeve and side splits. Its simplicity allows the texture and quality of the natural fabric to take centre stage.

The Luminal Dress

An A-line dress with adjustable straps, pockets and room through the body. The heavier linen-and-cotton fabric gives the dress movement without making it cling. A box pleat at the back provides ease for bellies and bottoms. 

The Ledger Skirt

An A-line skirt with a wide waistband, practical pockets and partial elastic at the back. The fabric creates a clean silhouette while the design accommodates changes in the body throughout the day.

The Tuck Trousers

Pleated trousers designed with ease through the waist, stomach, hips and thighs. The structured blend supports the tailored details while remaining breathable and wearable.

Designed on a plus-size body

Fabric is only part of the equation.

The best natural fibre in the world cannot compensate for a garment that has simply been enlarged from a smaller size block without considering proportion, movement or comfort.

Gertrude & Loom begins with a plus-size body.

Our garments are developed from a size 24–26 base rather than being designed in a small sample size and treated as an afterthought. We consider fuller upper arms, different bust proportions, stomach projection, sitting measurements and the amount of ease required for real movement.

The linen-and-cotton fabric works because the designs have been created to work with it.

Gertrude & Loom’s first collection brings the best qualities of both together in garments designed specifically for sizes 16 to 30.

Because plus-size clothing should not begin with compromise.

It should begin with the body, the fabric and the belief that both deserve to be treated beautifully.