Hope Macauley Cardigan

[amibeingaknob]

Ive been cooing over these cardigans for years, and I just saw it on Traitors and as Ive done quite well with work recently Im seriously considering buying one as a well done to myself. Am I mad? I want the colourful one, but its over £400!!!! Ive never spent that on anything before. I do know I would wear it to death, and it would make me crazy happy. I have a ratty old brown cardigan that I wear constantly. So should I go for it, or is that totally bonkers? Anyone got one? The fact you cant wash them might be an issue cos I know I would wear it constantly and Im a glumsy git.

Thoughts?

Oh and here is the beauty. I mean its a work of art and so cheery. The Colourful Colossal Knit Cardigan | Hope Macaulay

I also love the browner colours which would go with more Bruna Colossal Knit Cardigan | Hope Macaulay

I also wouldn't know what size to get. Im a size 10/12 tall with big boobs. I really want that oversize look so Im guessing M/L. Id want it a bigger fit than on the model. They are made to order so don't want to fuck it up.

Here are the pics. Its sooooo bad isnt it. Im raging now actually - can't believe they think they can get away with this? I sent another email saying my consumer rights aren't overridden by their refund policy, and they have 7 days to refund or Im going for a chargeback. I said this is due to excessive shedding, pilling, and felting after the first wear. These pics are after 3 wears! I cannot wear it - I look like a hobo in it.

Wish Id listened to the knitters upthread.

More pics....

That's really unacceptable.

That's awful, I hope you get your money back.
It's understandable you didn't fully listen to the knitters as it's hard to imagine that a company could get away with selling such high value items that can only be worn a couple of times.

I hope you can get a refund.

Something knitted with unspun roving is not going to hold up to normal wear. The twist put in by spinning is what holds the fibers together.

There's also ways of spinning that affect the durability of the yarn by spinning in a tighter or looser way.

That said, knitting is pretty easy. If you bought some bulky or extra bulky yarn and knit some rectangles and sew them together, you'd have that cardigan in a yarn that would hold up better.

I know right!

Apparently Im being unreasonable though. This was there bullshit response.

'I'm so sorry to hear you are disappointed.

Please take into consideration when you receive your super colossal knitwear piece that pilling may occur when worn. This is totally natural and due to the super thick, luxurious nature of the un-spun wool/yarn. The thicker the knitwear piece, the more likely it is to pill.

Pilling is loose fibre, shedding or little balls that form when the knitwear piece is worn. This may happen more on the inside of the garment due to the friction against our clothes.

We recommend using our Hope Macaulay Knitwear Comb to brush through your knitwear piece, which you can order on our website. We swear by it! We find that this is the best way to keep our knitwear pieces looking great for years to come.'

So a gross looking cardigan is normal but now I have to buy something else from them! Yeh, no thanks. Grrrr.....

Oh it's so dirty looking too where the colours have mixed a bit.
Honestly, I thought it would be worse, otoh it's only v lightly worn yet :( Chargeback is a great idea. How much is the comb as a matter of interest? At the v least they could've thrown it in with the v expensive purchase!

The comb is £10. You’re spending £350 on a cardigan and they can’t throw that in for free. Jesus what a scam.

I’m so sorry you’re disappointed @amibeingaknob , it was very clear how excited you were about getting the cardi a wearing it. I also think their response is a bit shit. You can remove pills with a comb or wee shaver thing but that’s going to be difficult given how the item is put together. Also agree that an item of clothing that looks like that after three wears is not fit for purpose. I really don’t understand why they just don’t use very chunky spun yarn which wouldn’t look that different but which would make the end product so much h more robust.,

I do think it’s unfair to say that they engineered product placement though, the Traitors’ contestants are cloaked (!) in secrecy before the broadcast.

The contestants’ cardigans were supplied to the costume department.

Odd, I heard ab interview with Stephen who said he supplied his own clothes.

I wouldn't wear one of these but can see why someone would!

If it's any comfort, OP, I spent £750 on a Joseph cardi/jacket (the hideous word 'coatigan' hadn't yet been invented) as I'd never seen anything like it and had just earned a big commission. It would be about £1,500 in today's money ...

... and I loved it. Definitely earned its keep, I wore it until it was unravelling.

Thats another good point - it does look dirty because the colours are merging together.

The website warns of minor pilling. NOT extreme shedding, pilling, and felting! My mum was really pissed off the other day as I shed all over her sofa. Im like a walking shedding cat. 😁

Can experienced knitters tell me - why on trustpilot have they got such good reviews? Why aren't I seeing endless complaints like mine if this is inevitable for roving yarn like you all warned me about? I dont get it.

Try emailing them again. Tell them you have taken advice from independent experts (which you have) and the yarn they used (roving) is not fit for purpose. Tell them you shouldn't have to spend additional money due to the inappropriateness of the material they used and that a comb is not going to fix the problem. Tell them that you have shed all over an expensive couch that now needs cleaning.

Tell them once again that you are exercising your consumer rights and you will not let this drop. Tell them not only do you intend to do a chargeback but that you will also be going to the media and social media and all review sites if they continue to try to fob you off. Tell them you will not be taken for a fool and are extremely angry. Be very firm with them and don't let it go. Tell them they have seven days to provide a satisfactory response after which time you will escalate.

The Trustpilot reviews are baffling, some people have bought more than one piece as well.
There is a thread on Reddit though that explains it better - everyone on there is saying that roving can't last.

I joined this thread because I loved the look of the cardigan (and had extreme FOMO), now I'm here hoping you'll get a refund.

can you link the reddit thread. Is it saying what Im saying??

Should I threaten the social media and review site thing now whilst a chargeback dispute is in place? Can that enhance the chance of them refunding or reduce it? Should I wait? My bank is saying it can take up to 8 weeks which is super annoying.

If you'd had it a year and bunged it through the washing machine a couple of times I could understand it starting to look tatty. But it's barely managed a few hours of wear.

Telling you to buy the comb in addition to the garment is really poor form.

The reddit comes up straight away with Hope Macauley Reddit.

Reddit is a cesspit and I'm not saying it's correct but it does offer a different view to Trustpilot.

I’m not really sure what the ‘comb’ is supposed to achieve. If it’s that delicate wouldn’t any combing of the surface be risky and pull it further apart?

I'm attaching a photo of roving. This has been kept in plastic and you can see a bit of fuzzing even with that. The ends are pulled apart which takes no effort so you can see the fiber strands. Hope this works.

Yeh ive read that one before but its all knitters saying it will never hold up - not actual customers saying it makes you look like a bag lady after 3 wears. Im just baffled there isn't more customer complaints online thats all. Especially as they refuse refund unless you return unworn and unused within 14 days. Which just goes to show the KNOW they are unwearable after use. Pricks.

Fair point.

Possibly a case of emperor’s new clothes - people not wanting to admit they’ve spent ££££ and it wasn’t as expected.

I’d push for a chargeback. However delicate material is, surely they can’t argue that a cardigan you can only wear a couple of times is fit for purpose

She describes them as wearable art so she knows fine well they won’t last.