Breathable. Durable. Hypoallergenic. Antibacterial. Moisture wicking. More sustainable than cotton. Dating back to Ancient Egypt, linen has long been praised for its beneficial properties. So, when Anna Heyd—former manager of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia’s Bel Café—discovered an absence of linen bedding that was both Canadian and accessibly-priced, she brought it to the attention of her two closest friends and long-time customers, Oana Papuc and Vivian McCormick.
“I called Viv and Oana and said, ‘Hey, I have an idea,’” she recalls over coffee in Gastown’s Nelson the Seagull. Although skeptical, the pair did some researching of their own and recognized this same gap in the marketplace for quality linen bedding that was simple, reasonably-priced, and available online. In August of 2017, Flax Sleep was born.
Despite their plans for it to be made locally (there was difficulty finding a manufacturer able to manage the bedding sizes they planned, and in volume they needed), the three founders chose to work with a family-run textile factory in Shenzhen, China with over twenty years of linen production experience. Aligned with Flax Sleep’s values, the modern facility uses 100 per cent French flax to produce their Vancouver-designed minimalistic bedding sets (including fitted sheet, flat sheet, duvet case, and pillowcases) and separates in king, queen, twin, and crib sizes. Stonewashed and preshrunk, the sheets feel soft and rustic while contributing to the perfect bedroom aesthetic.
“We believe that the more people experience linen as something to sleep on, something to wear, whatever it might be—the more people will not go back, the way that we have never gone back,” adds McCormick. Indeed, with more colours and patterns to be added in their Spring collection, including marigold yellow and midnight blue, falling in love with falling into bed has never been easier.
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