If one of your goals for 2025 is to shop a bit more sustainably and mindfully, we’ve found just the knitwear brand for you and even Carrie Johnson is a fan.
Posting to her Instagram stories this week, Carrie Johnson gave a shoutout to her Fairsile knit cardigan that fans had been asking her about, letting us know it’s from sustainable knitwear brand, Herd. The exact cardigan Carrie is wearing is the Fleetwood Cardigan in Ecru with Shrimp & Loam, £595.
Of course, this is a hefty price to pay. However, Carrie says, “They’re definitely investment pieces, but I’m not taking mine off from now until summer. ” We agree that the positive of buying sustainable pieces is the cost per wear you get out of them. As the knits are handmade from high-quality wool, they will last for years and years and also keep you warm in icy temperatures.
The Fairisle knit has been made from the brand’s very own fully traceable, super soft Bluefaced Leicester sheep wool, with the yarn taken from the sheep blended to create natural shades or dyed using plant extracts and naturally occurring mordants. On top of this, the buttons are made from nuts, so the entire piece is completely circular.
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The brand has a place-based materials-first approach, whereby it sources its own fibres directly from a collective of farmers and harvesters. It also collaborates with local craftspeople who have years of expertise to create completely ethical, quality knitwear.
As much as it is great to know exactly where your knits are sourced from and how they are made, we know nearly £600 for a cardigan is not always possible. So we’ve found a few alternatives that are a bit more affordable. Seasalt Cornwall’s Port Kinnis Fair Isle Cardigan With Merino, £89. 95, made from 70% merino wool, will keep you warm and cosy in the cold weather while still having that alpine, Fairisle design.
On top of this, another sustainable brand we and Claudia Winkleman are big fans of is Brora. Claudia has been sporting this Scottish knitwear brand a lot on the most recent series of The Traitors, and the blue version of her alpaca turtleneck knit is still in stock adn currenntly on sale for £139 here.
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