The Origin Story of Tana Lawn®

Tana Lawn® is a modern masterpiece of production and Liberty's much-loved cotton hero. An ultra-fine cotton with a fluid hand-feel and unmatched depth of color, it’s the perfect canvas to display Liberty's most iconic prints. While Liberty fabric enthusiasts cherish Tana Lawn® for its exceptional quality and luxurious feel, what exactly is lawn and what makes this fabric so special? Learn about the origin, construction, and characteristics of lawn fabric, and why Tana Lawn® remains Liberty's most beloved and popular signature!

It’s hard to believe that something so soft and silky can be cotton!

 

Where did "lawn" originate from?

Lawn fabric derived its name from the city of Laon, France, where it was first produced. While lawn was originally woven from linen in the 19th century, cotton lawn gained popularity as cotton imports from India increased and its lightweight and breathable qualities were recognized. Today, lawn fabric is commonly made of cotton.

How is cotton lawn constructed?

Typically, cotton lawn fabric gets its characteristic soft and smooth finish from combed, long staple cotton fibers. To maintain fiber length and strength, long staple cotton must be grown in regions with favorable climates and soil conditions and harvested to preserve their fine qualities. These long fibers further undergo a combing process to remove short or weak fibers and any impurities, thus creating a more soft, uniform, and refined product.

The processed cotton lawn fibers are then spun into yarn and woven to create a plain weave textile. The resulting structure of plain weave fabrics resembles a basket weave, where the warp (vertical threads) and weft (horizontal threads) are woven in an over-and-under pattern.

Once woven, the fabric undergoes an extensive finishing process to transform the raw cotton into lawn's distinctive, luxurious base. 

What are the characteristics of cotton lawn?

The quality and properties of cotton lawn creates: 

• A strong, durable fabric with tight interlacing warp and weft threads
• A fine weave with enhanced breathability and light weight feel 
• Minimal shrinkage, stretch, and pilling
• An even, smooth surface for printing
• An essentially reversible fabric (that is, no “right” or “wrong” side) for non-printed solids

What is the history of Liberty Tana Lawn®?

Liberty began experimenting with cotton lawn in the late 1890s. However, the discovery of a unique long-staple cotton near Lake Tana in Ethiopia in the 1920s is ultimately what revolutionized Liberty's textile industry. While traveling in East Africa, Liberty's cotton buyer William Hayes Dorell recognized the potential of the luxurious cotton fibers around Lake Tana. A decade later, he would help to establish one of Liberty's signature product lines with homage to its place of origin, Tana Lawn® cotton. Today, the cotton fiber used in Tana Lawn® is primarily grown in India, Egypt, and the United States.

Is there an Organic version of Tana Lawn®?

Yes! Organic Tana Lawn® aligns with Liberty's commitment to reducing its environmental footprint and having a measurable social impact. The product meets GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) requirements – from the harvesting of raw materials to responsible manufacturing.

Where is Liberty Tana Lawn® made?

Every bolt of Tana Lawn® is designed by in-house studio artists, then printed at Liberty’s own Italian Mill, close to Lake Como. Skilled technicians oversee the production of hundreds of different designs a year, using a combination of traditional screen printing and cutting-edge digital printing techniques.