Nadine Lustre, Christophe Bariou; Kyline Alcantara, Kobe Paras double-date at Vogue-Uniqlo dinner

MANILA, Philippines — A textile made from the natural fibers of the flax plant, linen is so strong and absorbent that it dries faster than cotton, making it comfortable to wear in hot weather, such as in a tropical country like the Philippines.

Linen, said Vogue Philippines Fashion Director Pam Quiñones at the recent Uniqlo and Vogue dinner in Taguig City, has been used for centuries from comfortable quilts to bandages, and it “naturally vibrates at 5000 megahertz,” and the more a material’s frequency is, the better its healing properties. Therefore, she recommended linen not only because it is a sustainable material, but it is also good for one’s health and wellness.

Linen is good for relationships, too. A 2023 study, “Lasting Bonds: Understanding Wearer-Clothing Relationship,” revealed that clothes like linen “can build strong bonds” and help improve “happy, lasting” interpersonal relationships.

Linen’s power to bind people was indeed palpable at the double-date of celebrity couples Nadine Lustre and Christophe Bariou and Kyline Alcantara and Kobe Paras at the recent dinner hosted by Uniqlo and Vogue.

“I’m a huge fan of linen, just because, you know, it feels really nice on the skin and you know that it’s not synthetic,” Nadine told Philstar.com at an exclusive interview.

“Also when you’re very conscious about the environment, you’re also very conscious about the things that you put in your body or the things that you put on your skin. It is really important that you use materials or items that are very natural. That’s how I am like as much as possible, I use products that are 100% natural, just because I’m aware of what like chemical items or chemical just gets to your skin to your body.”

Nadine, who styled herself in around 20 minutes using a long-sleeve polo from Uniqlo’s new premium linen collection, said that it is a rare time for her to style a button-down shirt, but she is still happy since her outfit matches that of Christophe.

“I don’t normally do this kind of styling for a button-down shirt. Most of the time, it’s tucked-in or open-back and then I have another top under me. So this is pretty new for me, and it just so happened that I had this, that I have this belt, so I tried it on and it looked really nice. It kind of matches Chris’ outfit as well,” she noted.

“I really love it, especially at this time that the summer season is coming up. I like that this doesn’t irritate you. There’s some linen, they irritate you, but this one is really airy, so I like it,” Kyline told Philstar.com of her impression of Uniqlo’s new premium linen collection.

“The linen collection is perfect, especially (because) I love going to the beach, so it’s a perfect outfit for the beach or in the city, when it’s hot,” added Kobe.

When asked about Kyline’s outfit with a linen top, Kobe said: “I love it! She did a good job of mixing and matching.” — Video by Deni Bernardo; video editing by Martin Ramos