Yue Jiang was born and raised in Chongqing, China. She worked as a fashion buyer in Paris, then in London for the past 10 years and hated seeing overbought raw materials in jobs which ended up in shredding stations because they were ‘past-season’.
Added to that, the brands barely knew where the fabric was produced and can never trace it back to the yarn mill, let alone the farm where the raw materials were cultivated.
While at JW Anderson, the idea emerged of creating a contemporary brand for women with a fully transparent supply chain, that was zero waste, using only European linen, the world's most ancient and sustainable fabric.
Má + Lin is where Chinese and French cultures meet. The name is a playful nod to their linen obsession, with "Má” and “Lin” both meaning linen in Chinese & French, plus a fun wordplay “Malin" meaning clever in French.
Simple linen blouses with a modern yet timeless feel to them, each piece is crafted in Portugal using 100% certified European linen, from either a luxurious and heritage Belgian Organic Linen or Irish Linen fabric.
My favourite styles are the Camille, with Peter Pan collar and a buttoned back.
Also the front buttoned Claudine.
The fabric is fully traceable from the flax fields to the garment warehouse with a supply chain map available on the website.
In order to minimise waste the blouses are made-to-order only which means they only produce what has been pre-ordered.
The styles in the collection have a vintage inspired feel that easily go with existing wardrobe pieces such as jeans, dungarees and gilets and are versatile layering pieces that can be dressed up or down.
For an instant outfit pairing, the brand also produce a beautiful pair of shorts.
By Anna Bance
June 2023
