Elena Llorens: The power of linen in dE.LENZO

Today we want to share the interview that Home Healthy Home, a sustainable brand of cleaning products for the home, has done with Elena, founder of dE.LENZO. In it, Elena shares her passion for linen as well as tips to take better care of your pieces... Thank you Home Healthy Home! You can read the full interview below.

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Today we speak with Elena Llorens, founder of dE.LENZO , a Spanish brand of home linen made exclusively with washed linen. In this interview, Elena talks to us about the creation of dE.LENZO , the importance of natural fibers and his experience working with Home Healthy Home. In addition, he shares with us his recommendations for the care of linen garments and how our products contribute to maintaining the quality and durability of his pieces.

How did you come up with the idea to create dE.LENZO and why did you decide to focus on washed linen?

Two years had passed since I closed the company to which I had dedicated twenty-five years of my life and I had to consider what to do at work from that moment on. I am very enterprising, feisty and hardworking, so I considered two company options that I started at the same time to see which one had fewer obstacles. One of them was related to my previous profession and the other, dE.LENZO, to my passion for the home, decoration and, above all, bedding. I came up with the idea after being unable to find a black linen set in Spain over five years ago and ever since. dE.LENZO It has been growing day by day, starting completely from scratch.

Why do you think it is important to work with natural fibers and bet on ecological and sustainable production?

There is no discussion about natural fibers. I can only speak to you, professionally, about linen. I have no words to express what this fiber transmits to me. I adore it in all its versions: raw, the wadding for quilt fillings, in pieces with its welcoming colors, and as a finished product because it is unique. It has so much personality that if you see a mattress in an empty room with a complete linen set, you won't need anything else... I invite you to try it. It really takes care of the skin, promotes sleep, is clean, doesn't age and conveys a feeling of earth. Did you know that animals adore it? If you put a linen sheet and a cotton one near a dog, for example, you will see where it decides to sleep... hahaha. It even helps babies to prolong their sleep. It is a very special fiber.

Regarding the second part of your question, if you allow me, I reserve the answer because what is really ecological and sustainable would be to consume local products, and that is not my case. My production is incredibly sustainable, with no water consumption and almost no energy consumption, but inevitably transportation is my main ally for suppliers and customers, and this, as we all know, does not contribute to ecology or sustainability.

How have you seen the textile industry evolve in terms of sustainability and how do you think dE.LENZO can contribute to promoting positive change?

I don't think the textile industry is evolving in terms of sustainability, in fact, I think it is regressing. When I was a teenager, I bought clothes twice a year, and now it is said that 150,000 million clothes are consumed a year, and that 50% of the clothes made by fast fashion chains like H&M, Zara, etc., end up in the garbage or incinerated. dE.LENZO does its bit more significantly by using nearby suppliers. I would never buy fabrics from China or India. I only work with European suppliers and most of my plugins I get "around the corner".

How do you choose the colors and designs for each dE.LENZO collection?

Oh my gosh...lol! Every day I invent new things to do and I want to have the full range of colors possible. Also, since I like them all for me, I love them all. Therefore, in dE.LENZO there is such a variety of colors. My suppliers, who are a fundamental part of my business, already know me, and together we look for special colors in small lengths to have variety, even if it is ephemeral.

What do you like the most about linen fabric and how would you describe it? What are the advantages of linen?

I will simply list the properties of my 100% linens, and I say "my" because there are those who say "linen" when in reality it only has a 20% presence, even though it is mixed with polyester. Go figure! dE.LENZO linens do not need to be ironed, they dry in half the time of any other fabric, they always smell good, they wrap you up and keep you cool or warm, they are flexible, they can be washed at high temperatures and they are antibacterial, antifungal and hypoallergenic. Also, if you choose Natural linen, it will be free of dyes.

How has the experience of working with Home Healthy Home been and why did you select them to take care of your linen garments?

Working with the Home Healthy Home brand is a real pleasure. The care and attention they put into all their products and everything they do is palpable from start to finish, from the way they communicate with you to the packaging of the order. It's a delight. I am passionate about sharing everything I like, the discoveries I make of things that are really worth it, and from dE.LENZO I have the opportunity to collaborate with other brands with which I feel comfortable and identified, and Home Healthy Home is one of them. I wash, dry, and wring out all the linens we make, and I spent a week testing various of their laundry soaps to see what effect they had on the linen. The experience was surprising, and I did not hesitate for a moment.

How do Home Healthy Home products fit into the dE.LENZO philosophy?

Everything fits: the aroma, the texture, the presentation, the image... everything fits! The very natural smell of all its products is the perfect match for linen. What could be more natural than washing a natural fiber with a soap made from olive oil and lavender essential oil (Soap n°13)? Or perfume your pillows with accords of lavender and a pink floral touch (pillow perfume n°220).

What are your recommendations for taking proper care of linen garments and keeping them in good condition?

I can only speak of the garments made with my linens. I know them like the back of my hand... I do all kinds of tricks on them and I would tell you: Do what you want with them, except iron them. You will destroy the natural fiber, you will stiffen it and it will wrinkle. Do not use soaps with optical brighteners, you will stain the linen. And of course, do not use bleach. I would recommend that you wash them wide, without squeezing them in an exploding washing machine.

How do you think Home Healthy Home products can help maintain and extend the life of linen garments?

Home Healthy Home products help to wash your household linen with the utmost delicacy, softening them naturally thanks to its formulation with organic virgin olive oil soap. This key ingredient not only softens, but also nourishes and protects the fibers, keeps colors vibrant and effectively removes dirt and bacteria. Plus, the organic lavender essential oil fragrance adds a long-lasting fresh touch to your linens.

What role do you think proper cleaning and care plays in the durability and quality of linen garments?

Although dE.LENZO bed linens have the antimicrobial certificate, it must not be forgotten that the cleanliness and hygiene of bedding is essential; If you are one of those people who likes extreme hygiene, you can wash your linen sheets or towels with Home Healthy Home soap. for sportswear. Soap n°14, without any problem.

How do you expect dE.LENZO to evolve in the future and what are your plans for the brand?

I keep trying to evolve as I thought the first day; I want to be the benchmark, in Spain, for clothing and home textiles made from 100% washed linen.

What has been the most rewarding part of your experience founding and running dE.LENZO so far?

The growth of the brand. The creativity of every day; always inventing even though it's already invented... and my photos; I enter my website and it fills me with pride. I personally do the design and almost all the internal work of the web and each photo of each product is made by me and when I look at them, they fill me with joy.

Directing I direct little; I tell my dressmakers that I'm the “all-rounder”…maybe that's directing…?