A sweater everybody wants right now
Funky knits in bright colors and crazy patterns are back. Plus, Cowichan sweaters and their influence on the fashion industry.
Here at SNL it’s all about seeing patterns and identifying common themes in style before they blow up into infinity and beyond. Some of my predictions might seem wild at first, but most of the time, they are not wrong—I’m sorry, it’s just true.
Sweaters are going through an interesting moment right now. A recent pattern I’ve noticed is that busy multicolor knits are making their rounds in menswear again.
Is this wave confirmed though? I don’t know, maybe. I’m just sharing what I’ve been noticing online lately, and it seems as though the people online have been responding positively to sweaters in this genre.
Since these predictions are still in their early stages, there are not a lot of brands that have yet made their own versions of these sweaters. But with key players making the first move in development, tells us that these sweaters are starting to make their way back into the conversation.
The moment where I realized that the interest is real is when I saw the reversible knit crew from the upcoming thisisneverthat and GORE-TEX collaboration. The popularity surrounding this sweater almost felt immediate online. Everybody I’ve spoken to seems to be really into it as well. So could this be
Dropping on the thisisneverthat website on November 14th! You can check out the full collection here.
The mutli-color sweater is reversible and is made with GORE-TEX Windstopper technology. It’s awesome but by the time you read this it might be already sold out—our subscriber chat got the intel early, so make sure you join to get exclusive news before it’s too late!
If your luck didn’t hit and you’re looking for similar sweaters for the fraction of the price then you should tap into Missoni Sport.
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Missoni’s history is rooted in sportswear. Launched in 1985 by Olympic runner Ottavio Missoni with a mission to build the brand around the legacy of sportswear. Missoni started out developing tracksuits for athletes before expanding into other sportswear apparel.
During that time Missoni had launched a huge variety of funky knits that you can now find at the thrift or places like Grailed and eBay for just around $100—the better the pattern the higher the price though. Something to be expected.
The regular Missoni line is still making new versions of this sweater—they’re called the Dégradé or just Striped sweater for anyone interested. I will say though, new Missoni is insanely expensive and almost not worth it because the vintage stuff is simply better and is significantly cheaper.
For all paid subscribers: I made a list of Vintage Missoni Sport knits you can buy right now for cheap through the private list here.
Subscribe if you aren’t yet to gain access!
THE COWICHAN SWEATER
Sweaters with patterns and unique references routed in indigenous culture is also something that more people seem to be talking about online. Specifically the Cowichan sweaters.
They have an insanely rich and complex history that is rooted in indigenous culture from the Cowichan Valley region in Vancouver Island, Canada. Beginning in 1860s the Coast Salish were a group of indigenous people that had developed unique weaving techniques using wool. Later, European settlers had taught Coast Salish women their own knitting techniques that were then combined together to develop the Cowichan sweater we know today.
Since then these sweaters have been adopted by fashion brands to the point where they’ve even ended up on the runway. Cowichan inspired knits are always around, I’ve noticed more brands have started experimenting with this style again.
Original Cowichan sweaters are still the best though and are readily available on the secondary market, but some of their prices might surprise you. Most of the time, the themes of a vintage Cowichan sweaters revolve around animals—the type of animal does dictate the price of the item, with wolves being one of the most coveted.
With that being said there are also a variety of hunting and even vehicle related sweaters out there that are really fun to look through. The knitting details on these are insane to think about. To sit there and create this level of detail by hand is absolutely incredible.
Kanata Hand Knits is a Canadian based brand that has been making Cowichan-inspired sweaters using classic techniques developed by Coast Salish for over 40 years. Working with skilled knitters to handcraft wool sweaters that are inspired by original vintage versions.
While focusing on classic, they do create what feels like a fresh take on vintage design.
Definitely excited to see how these sweaters will continue to evolve in fashion as time goes on. But I will say, even if these don’t take off in a big way I still think these are fresh enough to be considered for our wardrobes right now.