The Best Knitwear to See You through to Spring

Words by Sophia Miller

Every (grey, gloomy) cloud has a silver lining – and with the arrival of winter comes the welcome opportunity to dust off your knitwear collection. Cocooning season means leaning into all things cosy and wrapping up in chunky cable knits, deliciously soft cashmere cardigans and snug rollnecks until spring rears its head. After something new? These are the five knits every wardrobe needs, courtesy of the world’s finest knitwear brands.

Choose a well-crafted piece of cashmere, and it’ll last you a lifetime. Sourced from the soft, downy undercoat of the cashmere goat, hailing usually from China or Mongolia, this premium fibre has been used to make knitwear for centuries. Our own-label collection is brought to life at the renowned Barrie factory in Scotland – from which some of the world’s finest knitwear hails – while, further afield, Italian names such as Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana and Colombo pride themselves on sourcing only the very rarest cashmere.

Though its name is now widely synonymous with any kind of geometric knitwork, Fair Isle knitting is a technique unique to the Shetland Islands – and one that’s noticeably similar in style to the traditional woolen pieces found in nearby Norway and Iceland. The design shot to popularity in the 1920s after gracing the off-duty wardrobe of the Prince of Wales, and its heritage feel and festive connotations make it just as covetable in 2025.

From the highlands to Ireland’s Aran Islands, the cable-knit jumper (or Aran jumper) is a further heritage style that has cemented itself as a fashion favourite. In palette, its most traditional iteration is off-white, but the likes of Stella McCartney, Loewe and McQueen now offer chunky, oversized renditions in slate-grey and caramel brown for those who prefer a modern approach.

If you can’t bear to tear yourself away from your emotional-support knitwear this party season, we suggest slipping into a cropped cardigan with added personality. Autumn/Winter 2025 saw embellished knits galore: rhinestones at McQueen, sequins at Erdem, 3D florals at Alice + Olivia and feathered trims at Valentino and Cinq à Sept. Once you’ve picked your plus-one, pair it with high-rise denim for an effortless look. 

Riding the wave of AW25’s heritage hype – think tweeds, tartans and aristocrat-inspired accessories – the polo shirt translates surprisingly easily into winter wardrobes. Whether textured cashmere or a heftier rib-knit, these are sweaters made for layering, thanks to their open collars and typically slouchier shape. But, if figure-hugging is more your thing, Citizens of Humanity and Jacquemus offer slinky merino wool versions to be tucked into tailored trousers in place of a shirt.