Blog — sweaters

                                                Despite the consumer trend in the last ten years of buyers wanting to learn more about how things are made, companies are still talk about their manufacturing process in very reductive terms. Rare is the brand that won’t simplify their production to just some country-of-origin label, as though everything coming out of a country is of the same quality. Some may talk about the handwork that goes into their products, but this often assumes that everything handmade is good, and everything machine made is bad. The reality of what determines quality is often much more complicated. Take knitwear,...

It’s both easy and difficult to determine the quality of a sweater. It’s easy in the sense that there aren’t many variables to consider, at least in comparison to suit jackets and sport coats. A well made sweater will be densely knitted, which will require more material, but also allow the garment to hold its shape better. The yarns will also be made from longer fibers, which will give it fewer “weak points” (microscopic to the eye), and thus result in less pilling. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to tell whether a sweater is made from a good yarn by simply looking...