Whilst linen may not initially feel as soft as cotton, it does get softer with each wash. Choose pre-washed - garment washed or stone washed - linen if you want that softer feel straight away.

As a natural fiber like cotton, linen offers excellent breathability. However, linen is evenmorebreathable than cotton, because the fibers themselves are more hollow, meaning air can flow through more easily. Plus, it usually helps that most linen fabrics have a lower thread count — and thus looser weave — than most cotton fabrics.