5 independent knitwear brands to discover True luxury is knowing what others ignore

Fall is here and the temperatures are starting to drop. It is finally time to pull sweaters out of the drawer, the real stars of the winter wardrobe as well as the perfect comfort piece for the season. If we are to hold true to what was seen on last season's runways and what buyers and retailers are saying, knitwear is going to be the new strong winter category: the multiplicity of brands, materials, patterns and silhouettes have made knitwear a particularly good sector for luxury experimentation, which this year has created elaborate, playful but also severely minimalist pieces. When one tries to buy a sweater, however, one is always caught between the anvil of luxury brands with their thousand-odd euro sweaters and the hammer of fast fashion selling anonymous cashmere chokers with dubious longevity. What remains for those who want to feel in their sweaters the imprint of a personality, a shred of soul and, above all, the absence of the anonymity of the big global chains? Easy: indie brands. 

Fortunately, the world of knitwear is full of specialists in wool, alpaca, mohair and cashmere, who in some cases have been working for years or decades coming to the market with products that may lack the logo of big fashion but on the other hand have all the merits of slow fashion. Not to mention how now the real luxury is to know what others ignore - brands included.

1. Percival

Let's move across the pond to the brand that bears the name of Henry Zankov, a Russian designer naturalized American, veteran of several LVMH brands as well as a CFDA member and teacher at Parsons School of Design. Zankov has become one of the stars of recent New York fashion weeks for his highly experimental, colorful and elaborate knitwear. The prices are those of luxury - but the quality and design completely pay off. Zankov's sweaters are pure sophistication.