SUPERYACHT BED LINENS KNOW YOUR BED LINENS : COTTON VS LINEN VS SILK

It goes without saying that the bed linen found on superyachts is the highest quality, most luxurious to be found in the world. There is after all nothing quite like sleeping on silky smooth sheets, enveloped in feelings of luxuriousness.

But do you know what the bed linen is made of and how to choose bed linen for your yacht? 

When it comes to natural materials used for bed linens, there are three to know and consider: Cotton, Linen and Silk

Cotton:

Let’s first look at cotton. There are three different species of cotton used to make bed linen. The most common type is Upland cotton, comprising nearly 90% of all cotton produced around the world. The remaining 10% is made up of two higher-quality cottons : Egyptian cotton and pima cotton.  

Egyptian and pima cotton are classified as “extra-long staple cottons”, a term that refers to the length of the individual cotton fibers. These longer, silkier fibers produce a luxuriously soft fabric that is also incredibly strong. It’s resistant to fraying, tearing, pilling, wrinkling, and fading. The difference between Egyptian and Pima Cotton lies in where they are grown, Egyptian Cotton comes from the Nile Valley and Pima Cotton mostly from USA. There is also Supima Cotton which is even more luxurious than Pima – it simply means superior Pima Cotton.

We also need to take into consideration the weave and when it comes to softness and quality, the best cotton sheets are either Percale or Sateen. 

Percale is a traditional one-yarn-over and one-yarn-under weave, and typically features a matte finish and a crisp, cool feel that improves with every wash. Its superior durability means it won’t pill over time. It’s lightweight and breathable, which means it’s perfect for warmer sleepers.

Sateen is the closest thing you can get to satin — without the high cost and fragile nature of that expensive fabric. The one-yarn-under and three-yarn-over weave exposes more thread surface, giving Sateen a silky feel and luxurious sheen. Naturally wrinkle-resistant, Sateen is more tightly woven and therefore typically heavier in weight than Percale, making it ideal for year-round comfort.

Linen:

Linen is another natural fibre derived from the flax plant, the same plant we get flaxseeds or linseeds from. Turning flax into linen is time-consuming, making linen an expensive fabric to buy. Linen is favoured by many for its breathability. It's a fabric that keeps you much cooler in warm weather and much warmer in cool weather when compared with other fibres. It often has a rough texture and can be slightly sheer with a crinkled-crushed appearance. It's also incredibly durable, becoming softer and more luxurious with each use and wash. Linen requires less water to farm making it a more environmentally friendly choice too. And, when it comes to washing and drying, linen is very low maintenance as it dries quickly and requires no ironing. Linen is not always a preferred choice on superyachts though due to its wrinkly appearance.

Silk:

Silk is another natural fibre that comes from the spun threads of silkworms. Silk is an extremely premium fabric owing to how difficult it is to source and produce.

This fabric has not always been the first choice for bedding, owing to how easily it can stain and its poor resistance to water. It's also very thin and can tear easily, even after minimal use.

But many people will still choose silk because of how soft and light the fabric is. It's very comfortable and pleasant to lie on and is kinder on sensitive skin, eczema-prone skin and dry skin. It's also a fabric that is naturally more hypo-allergenic than others since it's less prone to dust mites. Rather than choosing entire silk bedding sets, it's become very popular to choose silk pillowcases and mix this into existing bedding. The slipperiness of silk puts less tension on your hair and skin while you sleep when compared with other fabrics. This is a kinder experience for your complexion and can help with conditions like hair loss, premature ageing and acne.

Our online Senior Stewardess Advanced Laundry Course (www.triloglyluxcourses.co.za )covers all these fine fabrics and many others as well as the correct way to care for them.

For more information about our Senior Stewardess Courses, please contact us on info@trilogyluxtraining.co.za