[EU] Where to buy good (also ethical) cachemire sweaters ?
Im looking to buy some good, ethical, long lasting cachemire, budget (Im happy to know if im spending too little/high for such an item) is around 100 to 200 euros off sale
33 Replies
You aren't getting good and ethical cashmere for that unless you buy second hand.
Vintage Johnson's of Elgin on eBay maybe at that price.
Is there any reason you want cashmere in particular? Because merino will be far more widely available at your price bracket and does most of the same things.
They might also have something on Yoox. I think Malo cashmere is well regarded and Roberto Collina makes some of my favorite knits. They'll also have some alpaca and merino blends.
Oh its just that I was going through Galeries Lafayette in Paris the other day and I really liked the feel and looks, it was around the lower end of the shared bracket while also saying it's ethically harvested (example or this )
I can see that they are similarly priced to uniqlo's cachemire but I wouldnt personally buy cachemire from unilqo tbh
A certain Guy with a phd in garment economy who is an unreliable source in other areas but probably knows what he’s talking about here eyeballed the minimum cost of high quality (ignoring the ethics portion) new cashmere at around $400-500
If I was to go for merino, whats the price point I should be looking for to get something durable/nice? And do you recommend a brand available in EU? I was considering Colorful Standard
Vinted has no shortage of high-quality Scottish vintage cashmere sweaters for less than 100€!
In general, there is no shortage of great quality knitwear on Vinted!
Have a look through this excellent brand list posted by brique in another q https://discord.com/channels/1116793467654381685/1309573119832363173/1310366283984011355
A lot of these will have cashmere offerings. (2nding Choppers recommendation for 2nd hand Johnston's of Elgin though, you genuinely won't get better for your money than that )
Hi @distraught
:banned: @distraught has been banned from mfad! :banned:
Bye Distraught.
You can get nice merino new at 100-200, but second hand will still save you cash and you'll have loads of options.
The thing with cashmere is "ethically harvested" (we didn't hurt the goat) is not the same as ethically produced (we didn't contribute to the desertification of the steppe). Overproduction of cashmere for cheaper stuff is really really bad for specific biomes.
my absolute favourite is this crewneck cashmere sweater from alan paine; the softest, thickest and plushest cashmere i ever felt!
Thanks to you guys im checking vinted with a list of brands that @tun🌻 mentioned in the other q and I gotta say I found some really nice stuff
I opted to search for both wool and cachemire and not just cachemire (with a focus on wool actually as its much cheaper and easier to take care of)
I don't know if this is relevant to you or not, but almost all modern Alan Paine sweaters with the green and silver tag are not made in England or the UK.
I see, so I should aim for the "made in England/UK" on the tag? cz the green and silve tag jus mention "England". It's not fully relevant to me but i'd rather to go as ethical as my wallet can allow me tbh so if its a bit more expensive id surely rather that
As far as buying second-hand is concerned, it's just a preference, but British mills, and Scottish mills in particular, are renowned for their high quality knitwear and spinning techniques. Cashmere doesn't come from Scotland, of course, but Scottish manufacturers are renowned for their spinning techniques, access to high-quality cashmere fiber, etc. And because there are so many vintage knits on sites like Vinted, you can easily find knitwear made in England or Scotland.
You can also look out for companies like William Lockie, Johnstons of Elgin (both still active), or Peter Scott (defunct, bankrupt) that have only ever made their items in Scotland.
A lot of people like Italian knitwear too, but I'm just not that familiar with it.
I have a Ballantyne cashmere scarf and it's really nice
Googling them I found this from a retailer though, which kind of hints at what Brique is saying as well
People in the know seem to regard the old produced in Scotland stuff as higher calibre
Of course some of it is probably PR jargon, but some interesting details about the manufacturing process there
I got a wool Ballantyne sweater, waiting for it to arrive!
How do we feel about Burberry cashemire scarves?
Never handled one, but I read somewhere that they are made in Elgin which makes me strongly suspect that Johnston's of Elgin make them for Burberry
The one im checking on Vinted is Burberrys (which if i understnad correctly is the vintage line) it says made in England
Burberry scarves are maybe the most faked thing in the world, I would definitely post here for a legit check
Is there a channel for legit checks or should I open a question for it 😓
Question thread!
usually more expensive than other equivalent cashmere scarves due to name recognition and, as others have mentioned, often counterfeited, so there's always a risk
As far as I know Crombie (a now defunct mill/company formerly based in Aberdeen, Scotland) used to make a lot of knitwear, including scarves, for Burberrys.
I already ordered one, ill be waiting for it and have a closer inspection but ill mark Crombie for later purchases
I know its a bit out of topic at this point, but I found this wool coat from Ballantyne, its just that its for only a 100E which made me doubt its real, any idea of fake Ballantyne are a thing?
What do the tags look like? although a fake is unlikely to be honest.
it says woven in Ireland and its pure wool, its just all the other Ballantyne coats I found on vinted were around 500E so it made me unsure of this one
Price is not a good indicator, the sellers who try to sell theirs for €500 will probably have a very hard time selling theirs (the only exception would be something obviously sought after and rare), which most old vintage coats, no matter the quality, are not.
Oh alright then ill go ahead for it 🔥🔥