10 cashmere sweaters from luxurious to luxurious
Cashmere, as well as wool or cotton, not as harmless as it seems at first glance. Nevertheless, designers and environmentalists still can not agree on whether to abandon it entirely. If you are used to treating things carefully, then cashmere can come in handy in the wardrobe - this is light, soft and warm material that breathes well, so that things from it can be worn all year round. In our collection - ten cashmere sweaters, which were produced according to the principles of sustainable development or can boast of excellent quality, which means durability.
Text: Anna Eliseeva
Mia fratino
Australian brand Mia Fratino is committed to the complete control of each stage of production and delivery. The brand adheres to the principles of "slow fashion" and seeks to create clothing beyond trends and time. The creators are confident that cashmere products can be cheap only if one of the processes was not ethical or environmentally friendly. Mia Fratino models are made of high-grade cashmere no more than 15 microns thick, which is produced in Inner Mongolia - an autonomous region of China - and the northern part of the Silk Road. The price of overseas sweaters, basic sweaters and long cardigans starts at an average of three hundred Australian dollars.
$316
Cuyana
Shilpa Shah and Carla Gallardo have been working on creating the brand since 2011. How to tell the businesswoman, buyers did not immediately believe the brand, which promised quality items for affordable money. Fortunately for the founders, the call to buy timeless clothes that will last more than one season worked. The brand uses two types of cashmere - from Scotland and from Italy - it prefers overlays-cut and neutral shades. Cuyana is not yet delivered to Russia, so in this case intermediary services will be useful.
$250
Everlane
Everlane is known for its transparent policy - on the website of the brand you can find information about all the industries with which it works. The company itself notes that they evaluate factories by such criteria as fair wages, acceptable working hours and environmental impact. In addition, you can trace the formation of the price of a particular thing. Thus, Everlane uses the highest grade 100 percent cashmere, while the cost of products is significantly lower than that of luxury brands. For example, the production of one sweater for the Cashmere Crew basic collection cost forty-two dollars, and now it is sold at a mark-up of one hundred. Other retailers would rate it, according to the company, at two hundred and ten dollars.
$100
Uniqlo
Uniqlo is one of the few (very few) brands where you can find budget cashmere items, and with decent quality. According to the head of research and development of the brand Yuki Katsuty, the same long undercoat of Mongolian cashmere goats is used in the creation of sweaters as in the luxury segment. It is worth remembering that Uniqlo does not yet make the process completely transparent, despite Katsuty’s assurances that the brand controls production in this matter from beginning to end.
3999 rub.
Pure Collection
The American brand Pure Collection strives to ensure that the cashmere it uses from Inner Mongolia meets the most stringent requirements. For example, farmers must walk their livestock in a closed area and feed it with certain feed so that animals do not eat grass, the disappearance of which leads to desertification of the region. On the brand's website you can find classic monochrome jumpers, and concise soft T-shirts, and trendy minimalist jersey combinations - all from 100 percent cashmere. And still there is a delivery to Russia.
14 200 rub.
Arket
The Swedish brand Arket will find win-win basic things from any natural material, including cashmere. In this case, it is hardly worth worrying about quality, but with environmental friendliness of production everything is not always simple. The main thing is if you have a jumper to your liking, wear it carefully and keep it for many years.
£115
Brora
Brora - the embodiment of the British classics. In the main assortment of the brand there are cozy jumpers, sweaters with patterns and soft wrap-around cardigans. Class A raw materials - that is, the highest - are traditionally purchased in Mongolia, and then sent to a factory in Scotland, where finished products are made from it. Brora notes that families work at the factory, transmitting the traditions of manufacturing from generation to generation, and therefore many things are made using handicraft. The design of one of the sweaters was invented by a long-time fan of the brand, actress Emma Thompson - 10% of its sales go to the Helen Bamber foundation, which helps refugees and those who are victims of torture or human trafficking.
£219
Cos
COS is also not completely transparent, like Arket, and yet the brand has long established itself on the positive side - its quality, timeless and universal things. If you do not want to arrange delivery from abroad, this is one of the few stores (so far only in Moscow) where you can find a relatively affordable cashmere thing. For example, now the collection has a turtleneck of cream and powdery shades, knitted hoodie, classic cardigans - and all of cashmere. We also liked the sweater, which will fit almost everything and remain relevant for many years.
£150
& Daughter
& Daughter create capsule collections of knitwear, which are made by craftsmen in Scotland and Ireland. All parts of the sweater are knitted separately, and then they are knitted by hand - some products go through twenty handwork stages of various kinds. Basic jumpers, cardigans, turtlenecks and caps - the usual assortment of & Daughter.
£325
Massimo dutti
Massimo Dutti promise to reduce the negative impact of its production on the environment, to believe or not - you decide. What the brand can not refuse is the quality, so that lovers of classic and relaxed things may like one of the Spanish-style simple cashmere sweaters. Moreover, many basic models are waiting for the sales season.
10 990 rub.
Photo: Uniqlo, Cuyana, Everlane, Mia Fratino, Pure Collection, Arket, Brora, COS, & Daughter, Massimo Dutti