Drop Your Cold, Hard Cash on Some Warm, Soft Cashmere
The best sort of cashmere jumpers should feel as if a lot of cash has gone into them. That's because it probably has. The process of acquiring this warm, soft, very "ooooh, that's nice" wool is an arduous one. First, true cashmere is farmed from the Hircus Blythi goat, a very Satanic looking thing that's native to the Kashmir Valley and the surrounding areas in Nepal and Mongolia (Kashmir/cashmere, makes sense). Theirs is the fleece with a double hide: one is a soft, downy undercoat, the other is coarser, and meant to protect against the colder temperatures of the region. It takes a while to gather this. Longer still is the refining, spinning and production. The result? A lightweight, effective winterproof fabric, but one that costs a fair bit of money.
It's well worth the investment, though. Cashmere lasts. What's more, it's one of the few cold weather wools that insulates without the usual itch. And despite commanding a price tag that's probably a little above the usual cool clothes in your wardrobe, the democratisation of cashmere has begun. You can glean affordable cashmere for less that's just a peg below the usual luxury level (though there is plenty of that too). You want proof of this. Understandable. So, we pulled together the best cashmere jumpers and sweaters for men to upvote and insulate your 2022 rotation.
(Courtesy)
Frame makes wardrobe essentials, and it makes them well. So, when the label turns its hand to something as fine as cashmere, it's as solid as any white T-shirt or grey sweat.
£505; matchesfashion.com
(Matches Fashion)
Not pure, fresh from the steppes cashmere, but affordable cashmere from M&S. And it's in a knitted polo, which is arguably even more versatile than the classic jumper.
£99; marksandspencer.com
(M&S)
Reiss has managed to dial down on the usual cost by weaving a cashmere mix. So while it isn't pure as the driven snow, it has all the benefits of cashmere – softness, durability and weight – in a more affordable open collar.
£98; johnlewis.com
(John Lewis)
King of slightly haunted prepwear, Thom Browne's cashmere is some of the best you can get (as are most things with the Thom Browne label). It's 100 per cent cashmere, and it's one of the most in demand brands of the moment.
£897; endclothing.com
(End Clothing)
Extreme Cashmere: sounds mildly threatening, feels very cosy in this sustainable, one-size-fits-all brand.
£300; matchesfashion.com
(Matches Fashion)
A classic brown knitted polo in a cosy boy cashmere from Allude. And if bottom of the Malteser bag isn't quite your shade, know that this solid marque offers the same bit of kit in blue, green and cream.
£348; matchesfashion.com
(Allude)
Riley Studio doesn't want you to buy things for the sake of it. So, the London label makes clothes that can be worn again and again from materials that have been made from other offcuts. But best of all, its cashmere is put together by craftspeople that are fairly paid and fairly treated for their work.
£295; riley.studio
(Riley Studio)
The Scots know good cashmere when they see it, and native marque Begg & Co makes some of the best. Case in point: this easy-to-wear, wear-everywhere crewneck jumper in candy floss pink.
£320; beggxco.com
(Begg & Co)
Never be cold or itchy again with the best cashmere jumpers and sweaters for men.