“A few years ago, when I said that I was a knitwear designer, people imagined that I was knitting sweaters in Larzac. Now they understand that knitting doesn’t have to mean rustic.”, explains Julia Rodowicz. A knitwear specialist who worked in the studios of Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Uniqlo and Lanvin, she was promoted to design director at Goldwin, a technical Japanese brand that makes outerwear. Proof, if needed, that knitwear (everything knitted and therefore flexible like a sweater, as opposed to clothing cut from fabric) is no longer limited to grandmother’s knitwear.
Moreover, when the word “mesh” is the subject of an article or a mention on social networks – which has happened nearly 15,000 times since the beginning of the year 2022 according to the software Launchmetrics measurement – it is rather associated with a glamorous universe. In early May, the French site of vogue devoted several articles to model Emily Ratajkowski’s wardrobe, praising her mesh top, then her “naked dress” (naked dress) in black mesh, which had in common to show all of her lingerie. “Emily Ratajkowski is embracing the sexiest summer fashion trend in New York”summarized the magazine.
Since the start of the pandemic, the share of knits has continued to grow in the collections. According to the houses, it generally represents between 30 and 50% of the ready-to-wear offer. According to the Tagwalk search engine, which compiles catwalk looks from all brands, 17.2% of women’s silhouettes featured knitwear in spring-summer 2022, compared to 13.8% two years earlier. For men, the trend is also on the rise with 28.8% of looks concerned for the fall-winter 2022-2023 season. “The emerging brands use the most knits in their collections”, analyzes Margaux Warin, from Tagwalk. Like Altuzarra and her long flayed sweater dress, Dion Lee and her openwork tank top with XXL cables, Egonlab and her perforated check polo shirt.
Yarn producers and mills are also seeing a knitwear boom. “Since January alone, brands have increased the volume of their knitwear orders by 20%”observes Barbara Colbertado, director of Lineapiu, a Tuscan spinner who works with medium and high-end French labels.
Only one size per garment
On closer inspection, the craze for knits is not surprising because this category of products ticks all the boxes of our “covid” era. “Containments and teleworking have created a demand for comfortable rooms”, assures Damien Pommeret, of the Woolmark Company. Naturally supple and elastic, the knit is not restrictive. And a black sweater having the advantage of being all-purpose, it does not swear on Zoom. “We feel a real change in mentality, a desire for well-being, adds Barbara Colbertado. Unlike us, our colleagues who make jackets are suffering a bit at the moment. » The fact that the knit adapts to the body also explains its success on e-commerce: there is less risk of getting the wrong size with a wool sweater than with a fitted blazer.
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