Armor Penetration and Armor resistance.

[Dan Howard]

This armour was never out moded. It survived well into the Middle Ages in Europe as the padded jack. It was worn for at least a thousand years in India as the peti. It was worn in Persia, Turkey, China, South-East Asia, South america. Padded, quilted textiles - either linen, cotton, or manila - have always been worn, sometimes by those who could easily afford metal armour. Spanish chronicles said that the conquistadors abandoned their metal armour in favour of the native quilted armour partly because it offered better protection against native weapons (not sure I believe this). It can easily be made to offer the same protection as metallic armour. The problem is that this type of defense is much heavier than metallic examples. It is the whole reason metal was used - any other material that is made to provide a similar protection weighs more than metal.

Linen hardly offers "super resistance". If a material can't withstand a one handed stab then there is no point wearing it. Decent armour will stop an arrow fired from short range or a two-handed melee attack. I doubt 15 layers of linen can do this but have no doubt that 30 layers will. But if you need textile armour this thick then you are better off going for metal. It will be lighter and thinner.