Ever since Harry Styles sparked a trending TikTok challenge #HarryStylesCardigan with his colourful patchwork JW Anderson cardigan at The Today Show performance last year, the cardigan has been Gen Z’s de rigueur of winter wear, as seen on Instagram and TikTok. So, if you’re planning a cold weather vacation soon, and are looking to up the ante of your OOTD feed, you’ve landed on the right page.
The Colourblock Patchwork Cardigan went viral on TikTok, inspiring users to recreate the now iconic piece.
Here’s a round-up of eight cute cardis from independent craft labels.
Former Nasty Gal buyer Lisa Bühler moved from LA to San Francisco and started out her indie outfit operating only online selling clothing and accessories from small-time designers she believed in. Today Bühler has a cult following on Instagram, and now stocks her own collection which includes retro colour-blocking and checkboard cardigans. Gah! So cute!
The Copenhagen brand’s showpiece colourful fringed cardigan is a sight to behold. Co-founders Thelma Steimann and Nico Golden designed the zero waste cardi from all the surplus yarns and leftovers from their studio. Launched just last year, the knitting duo crafts the pieces themselves and has amassed a loyal following of influencers like Scandinavian street style star Marie Jedig @mariejedig and fellow knitwear lovers.
Even before Sunny William’s brand went viral on TikTok or Instagram (thanks to Kendall Jenner who wore William’s Hockney Dress) in 2020, it was already known for its colourful knitwear. We are currently crushing on the Bloom Cardigan. Sustainability is a huge concern for Williams so the pieces are on a pre-order basis. Yup, that means each product is especially made for you.
This cult British knitwear brand is famous for its musical influence and had previous knitwear capsules dedicated to iconic UK bands like Joy Division, David Bowie and The Cure. The gorgeous Daisy Edgar-Jones of Normal People fame loves her Carrington cardigan as we do. What else are we eyeing? The most recent piece inspired by the late English poet William Blake. The William Blake Flannery cardigan is made from 100% natural and biodegradable wool, and has some of Blake’s famous quotes designed around it.
If you haven’t heard of the Colossal Knit Jumper — well, lucky you found us. This colourful chunky cardigan handmade from 100% jumbo merino wool (a natural, renewable, biodegradable fibre which is soft to the skin) in Northern Ireland has been trending on our Instagram feed since forever. And it even caught the eye of American Grammy-nominated singer Halsey, whose stylist is now working with fashion and textile designer Hope Macaulay to customise looks for her. I think it’s safe to say there will never be a dull winter’s morning when you’re in a Hope Macaulay masterpiece.
Childhood best friends Phyllis Chan and Suzzie Chung have always dreamt of starting a label together. So after Chan returned to Hong Kong from New York where she worked at Rag & Bone as director of knitwear for a decade, they decided it was a now or never moment. Their first collection in 2018 was launched on their website, but since then this dynamic pair has built recognition among the fashion circle with their charming take on Chinese culture and colourful designs. As advocates of low-waste production, half of the yarn used in their entire collection are recycled.
New York-based grad school students, Beste Tonga and Hilal Palacioglu started their business on the ethos of empowering women to work. Both of them came from families where their mothers couldn’t work and make their own money. Their sweaters and cardigans are made in Turkey, where they are both from, and handmade by women who have been knitting for most of their lives — that includes friends and family members of Tonga and Palacioglu. Little did they know that with the creation of their very affordably priced “Red Strawberry” and “Cloud” cropped cardis, their popularity started soaring on Instagram and TikTok.
Founder Nicole Leybourne’s oversized wool sweaters are so popular, she needs a team of 100 knitters to keep up with orders coming from the United States, Europe and China since she launched her site The Knitter in 2015. Designed and made in New Zealand and Peru, Leybourne uses quality mohair yarns, alpaca and sheep wool. Each garment like this pretty “Ugly Cardi” is hand-knitted in homes by old ladies who have become fast friends with Leybourne — bonding over their love for knitting.