Realistically, how much should good knitwear cost?

[WeirdArchitecture]

See a lot of threads on the pros and cons of buying expensive knits. One had links to several stores (small designer??) where a merino crew neck was over £300.

I hate cheap knits and am lucky enough to spend a little on natural fibres, but how far is too far? Brora? Uniqlo?
Personally i don't rate Uniqlo at all, and wonder 'who or what' suffers for the production of a dirt cheap cashmere cardi.

Im not looking for recommendations at all, i am interested how much you would be prepared to go, whether you think it is worthwhile to invest in a few higher priced knits, or if, alternatively, you think it is all a racket.

We are used to the quality of clothes becoming much worse as the years go by, so i would love to know other's thoughts on this subject. Many people have little choice wrt clothes spending, so that is obviously appreciated and understood (before anyone decides to land me a punch )

I think I’d be expecting to spend £150 upwards these days for something pretty basic but decent quality

I think probably around £80 min for rougher grade wool and £100min for very thin but softer.
Expensive doesn’t mean ethical though. I tend to buy knitwear from smaller brands now that say where their wool comes from.

How do we explain Brora prices? Made in the UK? Is their cashmere so very superior or is much of it branding?

If i knit something for myself using UK wool then the materials alone cost £60-100 so if you add the hours to knit on top of that, then I think you're looking at £150+ with the presumption that it is machine knitted in UK.

A hand-knitted traditional Icelandic jumper using local materials would cost £150+ but they have a network of expert speed knitters there that do it as a side job.

Brora I would have to presume is either hand knitted or a very significant profit margin.

Community clothing do British made wool knitwear stating at around £60-£80, very small range. Paul James are around £100 up depending on design. I can see why once you add cashmere (which should be expensive for welfare) and Brora's brand/ design input it's easy to get to £200.

So a basic good quality ethically made jumper is the price of 3-4 cheap ones: depends how many jumpers you need in your life and how long you expect it to last. But you could also spend the same amount on an overpriced fashion jumper that won't wash or wear well. Price isn't a guarantee.

There's an episode of Made in Britain in a UK knitwear factory, really interesting. Lots of hand finishing. www.itv.com/hub/made-in-britain/2a5692a0031

@WeirdArchitecture

How do we explain Brora prices? Made in the UK? Is their cashmere so very superior or is much of it branding?

It’s only the Brora cashmere that is made in the UK. The label on my wool fair isle cardigan states it was made in Czech Republic. I can’t find anything about ethical production either, which puts me off them. I do have one of their cashmere cardigans. It is very nice, but extremely fine. It has worn well though and doesn’t pile much. Not worth the £££ cost though. I do like a lot of their designs though, they’re a bit different.

I’ve bought quite a bit of knitwear from Baukjen which I have chosen because it’s ethically sourced or recycled.

I expect to pay £100 - £200

Someone has to pay for it somewhere, whether it's the wool or the time or the impact from the dyeing or over grazing.

A small cashmere/merino mix jumper would cost me probably about £150 if I bought the wool from a wholesale seller who sells to handdyers. If I wanted pure cashmere ethically produced from a traceable and sustainable community I'm looking probably at £50 per 100g which seems pretty reasonable tbh.

I paid £150 for a great cashmere jumper from Cos a few years back and it’s still going strong. Around that level would be reasonable for a replacement I think.

great info, thanks!

For wool, if it's less than £100 new, I assume it's unlikely to have been ethically made and that there's at least a 50-50 chance it'll turn out to be shit. That's my guess and, if anything, I suspect that's on the low side. And no, the reverse doesn't always hold.

Community Clothing are an exception to that rule as a previous poster has said - small ranges and a clever business model.

I've lost the plot regarding what's a reasonable price for cashmere. It was luxury end only until pretty recently and, from what I've read, I think there's a strong argument that it should have stayed that way. I don't buy it new any more.

Also I think we (in the UK I mean) need to fall in love with British/European wool again. Native Shetland, lambswool as well as other breeds like Wensleydale and also alpaca, can be fine and soft but still long lasting. Why are we throwing it away whilst destroying the environment in Mongolia/China with the rush for cashmere?

@NotMeNoNo

Also I think we (in the UK I mean) need to fall in love with British/European wool again. Native Shetland, lambswool as well as other breeds like Wensleydale and also alpaca, can be fine and soft but still long lasting. Why are we throwing it away whilst destroying the environment in Mongolia/China with the rush for cashmere?

Mass marketing, the 'need it now and want it cheap' element of our culture, sadly. Companies can produce more goods, and faster, overseas.

The Brits might hold a torch for traditional British made goods, but are nonplussed about how this would have to evolve all over again, with sufficient infrastructure and perhaps lower housing/fuel costs to make wages go further - many people dont even have an option of whether to purchase any kind of cashmere, whether it is from H&M or Brora.

I've recently bought a Seasalt cardigan which was only approx £60.00, though it is obviously wool mix, but I like the pattern. Also a hand knit, authentic fairisle cardigan for a little less (vintage). I do have a couple of Brora knits and do rate the quality and would pay up to, and approx, £200.

Interesting question. I don't spend much on clothes, but since taking up knitting I appreciate good knitwear more, and dislike wearing synthetic jumpers. I don't particularly feel the need to go for pure cashmere (and find it too expensive), but do buy merino and lambswool and cashmere blends. I have rarely paid above £60 for knitwear.

In the UK knitting community there is plenty of appetite for British and even more locally produced wool. But that's still such a small market, compared with the fashion knitwear market. British farmers make a loss on their fleeces, so they often just burn them, which is so sad when all this cashmere and wool is being imported from abroad!

Palava heritage knitwear is fabulous. The website explains why it's so pricey.

palava.co/collections/the-molly-cardigan

Same with Eribé

palava.co/collections/the-molly-cardigan

And & Daughter

www.and-daughter.com/

I feel there's a middle ground though between a tidal wave of dubious cheap £15 synthetics and the £250 "this was bespoke hand-knitted by vegan artisans" privileged few.
In the 90s I lived near a factory that made wool jumpers for M&S. It was decent work for local people and they sold for £30-40 even then, that's probably £75-100 today. Getting a new jumper was a considered buy or a special present. Now they are just throwaway. And theres a housing estate where the factory used to be.

I feel if people were paid decent wages they'd be able to afford things made by people also paid decent wages.

I have a few Brora jumpers (bought in the sale or on eBay) and they are fantastic - have been worn and worn and washed and washed and look like new. They are also in lovely shapes/colours. I have decided not to buy any more cheap knitwear and just save up to buy a single jumper every year for c. £200.

The points above about British wool and manufacturers by @NotMeNoNo are very good though. I often find the colours/shapes of jumpers are not that appealing to me. E.g. the ones from Palava/Eribe above wouldn't look nice on me. Where are good places to find classic made in UK knits in nice colours.

Missed the Eribé link

www.eribe.com/

I don't know NotMeNoNo. I don't buy merino/cashmere and cashmere yarn because I can't afford to. I was given some merino/cashmere yarn for doing some sample knitting and it's beautifully soft but when it comes down to it, it is a rarer fibre that can't be produced locally and the only way it'll become generally available is to drop quality or sustainability and living conditions for the people producing it.

I agree that there are plenty of other local fibres that don't have the status but are as good.

I've been reading a lot about British wool recently following a new brand Yan Tan that Jules von Hep co-founded. yan-tan.com/

I understand the £150 price tag but feel a little nervous spending that on wool because ideally I like my clothes to be easily washable and the advice seems to be these jumpers should not be washed at all, just aired out.

Some of my best winter knits are from Woolovers. Maybe they are not quite as ethical but paying £89 to for two cashmere/merino mix jumpers feels a lot less anxiety provoking somehow, at least those can be washed.

and the advice seems to be these jumpers should not be washed at all, just aired out

And that's correct. Not everything needs to be washed after every wear - far from it.

I have decided not to buy any more cheap knitwear and just save up to buy a single jumper every year for c. £200

I did this. Had 4 or so in baskets over different websites and deleted them all. I dont need 4 jumpers. Decided on one and will add another next winter. It is surprising how little we can get by on. I really only need 2 summer dresses, a few knits, 1 pair of leggings, 2 tees, 3 skirts, and 2 thermal tops. And tights!

@NotMeNoNo

Also I think we (in the UK I mean) need to fall in love with British/European wool again. Native Shetland, lambswool as well as other breeds like Wensleydale and also alpaca, can be fine and soft but still long lasting. Why are we throwing it away whilst destroying the environment in Mongolia/China with the rush for cashmere?

Agree 100%

@nordica

I've been reading a lot about British wool recently following a new brand Yan Tan that Jules von Hep co-founded. yan-tan.com/

I understand the £150 price tag but feel a little nervous spending that on wool because ideally I like my clothes to be easily washable and the advice seems to be these jumpers should not be washed at all, just aired out.

Some of my best winter knits are from Woolovers. Maybe they are not quite as ethical but paying £89 to for two cashmere/merino mix jumpers feels a lot less anxiety provoking somehow, at least those can be washed.

Was coming on to say that! Big big fan of Jules and I want one of the amazing yellow ones for xmas