Knitwear is a great type of clothes to thrift because jumpers are relatively cheaper second-hand whilst being of higher quality (i.e. they’ve clearly passed the test of time) than conventional ones.
Most fast fashion jumpers are made of a ‘wool blend’. If you’re lucky that blend is composed of 70% wool, but more often than not it will be somewhere between 5 and 40%. The wool will most certainly be unethically sourced as well.
Generally, the other component of a wool blend is a mix of synthetic materials such as polyester, acrylic, nylon or polyamide, which are oil-based textiles, cheaper and of lower quality. Fashion brands use the mention ‘contains some wool’ as a way to a) increase the price of a product and b) support their sustainability claims, which is often greenwashing.
Obviously, depending on the material source and production methods, a wool blend can feel horrendous or be ethically made and exude luxury. The second-hand market is crammed with both ‘pure wool’ and ‘wool blended’ jumpers and cardigans. The best way to find them is to use very specific keywords.
Type in the words ‘vintage’, ‘wool’ and ‘jumper’ in combination with specific patterns and styles. I’ve picked a few ideas to get you started and sampled them in this article. For more second-hand tips, thrift guides and advice from professional vintage sellers, head to Substack and become a member of Slow Fashion Weekly.
Classic Aran sweater
To find a chunky, heavy, jumper search ‘classic Aran sweater’ or ‘Irish wool’. This is a style of jumper from the Aran Islands, off the west coast of Ireland. I like this one because it was originally a fishermen’s jumper so it’s water-resistant and designed to keep you very warm. It’s traditionally off-white but you can find other colours easily. Beware of ‘wool blend’ copies though.
Austrian knit
Type in ‘Austrian knit’, ‘Bavarian cardigan’ or ‘Folk costume cardigan’ to find pretty knitwear adorned with lovely delicate embroidery featuring flowers, farm animals and bucolic landscapes. These ones can be on the pricier side due to their uniqueness and the fact that they’re on-trend this year with the ‘cottage core’ aesthetic having a momentum. The ones under £50 are usually ‘wool blend’ but worth considering if you like this style.
Fair isle jumper
Searching for ‘Icelandic jumper’, ‘Nordic jumper’ and ‘Fair isle jumper’ will result in different types of pure wool thick jumpers decorated with colourful patterns, each with a unique backstory rooted in traditions. I don’t have enough space to delve into them here but it is worth investigating before shopping as you’ll probably find beautiful stories behind these pieces.
Cable-knit
If you’re looking for a basic jumper to keep you warm and not much else, I would recommend using the words ‘cable-knit’, ‘crew-neck’, and/or ‘handmade’ and refine using the material (wool, cashmere, mohair,…) and colour. Think of using shades like ‘rust’, ‘mint’ and ‘cobalt’ rather than ‘orange’, green’ or ‘blue’ to be less overwhelmed with choice.
Heritage luxury brands
Mass-market brand Marks & Spencer used to produce 100% pure wool and high-quality wool blend jumpers. The brand was called ‘St Michael’, which is another keyword you can use to find beautiful vintage knitwear at a lower price point on Ebay.
Another brand you could thrift is ‘John Smedley’ as they have one of the oldest manufacturing factories in the world (established in 1784) and all of their products are made in England. Finally, you could search for second-hand ‘Eric Bompard’. This is a French luxury brand that produces cashmere products exclusively, including jumpers and cardigans. I’m adding a link to their website here so you can see if you like this style.
