There’s a chill in the air, which can mean only one thing – knitwear season is here. These are the knitwear brands to know this year.
With so many options out there, it can be hard to know where to start when planning your next cosy investment. Whether you’re looking for a classic navy jumper or a chunky Aran-knit cardigan, the best knits are timeless, versatile and made with quality fabrics. We want pieces that will work as well with our favourite jeans and boots as much as they do layered over a skirt or dress for an easy evening look. Here, we round up fashion editor-favourites that tick all three boxes.
HERD
British brand Herd specialises in ethically made knitwear to keep forever – think chunky cardigans, singlets and cosy thick jumpers perfect for snug days working from home, chilly afternoon walks or baltic school drop-offs. Its signature yarn is made from 100 percent Bluefaced Leicester fleeces within just 150 miles of the farms in Yorkshire, North West England, and each piece is hand finished without toxins. Herd’s pieces are a joy to wear every winter.
LA LIGNE
La Ligne is led by a trio with rich fashion credentials – former Vogue editors Valerie Macaulay and Meredith Melling as well as Rag & Bone’s former head of business development, Molly Howard. Their aim is simple – to create easy-to-wear clothes that can be styled in multiple ways for different occasions. The New York label is best known for its love of stripes, giving an upbeat, timeless edge to jumpers, cardigans and polo shirts.
NAVYGREY
Ask any fashion editor about their best-loved knitwear brands and Navygrey will undoubtedly come up. Founder Rachel Carvell-Spedding spent two decades trying to find the perfect jumper, looking at softness, fit, silhouette and versatility, before deciding to design her own. Navygrey was the result, named after the two colours that form the bedrock of so many wardrobes. Each style is full traceable, with the provenance and process carefully detailed. From relaxed cashmere jumpers that fall on the right side of oversized to cardigans that hang perfectly from the shoulder, these are second-skin knits that you’ll wear regularly.
& DAUGHTER
Spun and made in Scotland and Ireland, &Daughter offers knitwear designed to be passed down across generations. For founder Buffy Reid, creating beautiful, long-lasting knits is part of her family DNA. Her Irish grandmother was a keen knitter, who imparted her skills to her son – Buffy’s father – which became the focus of his career as he created Irish and Scottish knitwear of the highest quality. Today, the same mills are used to produce &Daughter’s collections, which span neutral classics as well as uplifting colourful styles to brighten up the darkest of winter days.
LISA YANG
This luxury brand infuses the ancient cashmere-making practices of Mongolia where designer Lisa Yang grew up with the understated, fuss-free aesthetic loved by her Scandinavian husband, Samuel Stenberg, with whom she runs the business. The result are high-end, exquisitely-made cashmere pieces with a modern sensibility. No effort is spared to create the perfect knit – the downy cashmere hairs are meticulously combed by hand to achieve ultimate softness.
KILTANE
The Scots have more reason than most to create enduring, timeless knitwear. Edinburgh-based, family-run Kiltane has become one of the buzziest names in the cashmere business, with a reputation for super soft staples that are much more hard-wearing than their delicate appearance would suggest. Despite using stride knitwear-making methods, the brand is focused on how we dress now. Its fine, button cardigans in berry tones are perfect for tucking into jeans.
M&S
The rebrand of M&S clothing is well-documented; there are few millennials who remain immune to its well-made collections that acknowledge trends without bowing to them. Its knitwear is strong, with affordably-priced cashmere must-haves that come in a wide range of colours, as well as its wool-blend styles that retain their shape.
LOULOU DE SAISON
Previously known as Loulou Studio, Loulou de Saison is best known for its fine knitwear inflected with Parisian nonchalance. Masterminded by French influencer Chloé Harrouche, its USP is understated classics to be worn over and over again. You’ll find all the French girl staples – slouchy navy jumpers perfect with straight-leg jeans and boots; camel turtlenecks that give wide-leg trousers an insouciance; and grey polo sweaters worn with lace-trimmed skirts for evening.
COS
The fashion industry’s mid-level brand of choice, Cos is loved for its boxy silhouettes, durable, premium materials and minimalist aesthetic – characteristics that lend themselves well to knitwear. Although still not cheap, these pieces look much more expensive than they are, whether adaptable layering essentials or tactile conversation-starters in exaggerated shapes. Each piece is built to last.
RISE & FALL
Rise & Fall’s understated ready-to-wear is largely made in the same factories as luxury household names, but at half the price thanks to a direct-to-consumer business model and its try-and-test method, which sees the company launch small runs of products, scaling up only when it can prove the demand is there. With an IYKYK status, this still relatively unknown British brand delivers some of the best, most accessibly priced knitwear in the business.
Ella Alexander is Citizen Femme’s fashion features editor. She started her career at the Evening Standard, and has since held senior editorial roles at Vogue, The Independent and Harper’s Bazaar, where she remains a contributing editor. She also writes for The Telegraph, Sunday Times Style, Service95 and CNN. She is an author, having co-written Dame Zandra Rhodes’ memoir, Iconic: My Life In Fashion In 50 Objects, published by Transworld in July 2024. Her favourite travel destination is Catania, Sicily’s second city.
We may earn a commission if you buy something from any affiliate links on our site.
Photo credit: Herd
Any Questions or Tips to add?