The polo-collar sweater
The yarn is a blend of extra-fine (and therefore soft) virgin merino wool and organic cotton from Tollegno 1900, a renowned Italian yarn manufacturer.
It's the same thickness as our lightweight sweater.
Three times more abrasion-resistant than 100% wool, thanks to the addition of cotton.
This sweater is made in Portugal at the Malhas Ribeiras factory, with which we have been working since 2025.
Techniques That Ensure Quality
Wool-cotton blend
By blending these two natural fibers, you get the best of both worlds: this sweater is three times more resistant to abrasion than a 100% wool sweater (see lab test results for the 100% wool sweater here and the cotton-wool blend sweater there) and twice as resistant to stretching as a 100% cotton sweater (see the results of our in-house tests there).
Wool-cotton blend
Knit as tightly as possible
Spandex reinforcement
Knit as tightly as possible
The stitches are knit as tightly as possible. This uses more yarn and is therefore more expensive, but it helps prevent pilling and gives the sweater more structure.
Wool-cotton blend
Knit as tightly as possible
Spandex reinforcement
Spandex reinforcement
Four spandex threads are inserted at the cuffs to prevent the sleeves from stretching out over time.
Wool-cotton blend
Knit as tightly as possible
Spandex reinforcement
A little something goes a long way
For this style, we’ve used the same organic cotton-extra-fine merino wool blend as in our lightweight sweater (more resistant to pilling than 100% wool, and more resistant to losing its shape than 100% cotton). Its polo collar makes it very versatile: wear it next to the skin to highlight your shoulders, or layer it over a T-shirt, under a sweater, or under a jacket. As stylish as a shirt but never wrinkled.
In detail
Milano collar
A particularly dense knit, designed to hold up well over time.
Classic Cut
The cut follows the body's contours. And since wool is naturally stretchy, this sweater fits all body types.
Jersey stitch
A smooth stitch that minimizes snags and pilling.
"Decrease" Knitting
The panels (back, front, sleeves, and collar) are knitted directly to the correct shape to avoid wasting yarn.
How to Wear It
A few ideas if you're stuck
Composition
53% virgin wool, 47% cotton
Origin and Certifications
- Knitting and assembly: Portugal
- Spinning and dyeing: Italy
- Wool: a blend of fibers from South Africa, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, the Falkland Islands, and Sierra Leone (yeah, that's a lot, isn't it?)
- Cotton: Turkey
...manufacture in Portugal instead of France? Of course, producing in Portugal allows us to sell at lower prices. But it’s also easier to produce high-quality items there: in the 1980s, when France outsourced its manufacturing, Portugal strengthened its own manufacturing sector. Still, there are others besides us who manage to make beautiful 100% “Made in France” polo-neck sweaters, like Cabane.
How This Product Will Age
How do we know this? We ask our customers for their feedback on the product one year after purchase. And if the product is less than a year old, we provide our predictions based on some unsolicited feedback and our experience with similar products.
The beauty of wool is that it’s stretchy: this sweater will hardly lose its shape at all. If the sleeves stretch out a little, you can tighten them up by ironing them, as explained here.
The great thing about cotton is that it’s durable, so there’s little risk of holes forming at the elbows (or at least not for a long time). If that ever happens, there’s always time to wear elbow pads.
It might develop a few pills in areas prone to friction, such as the sides... but nothing that a pill shaver can't handle (and the more pills you remove, the less likely they are to reappear).
The biggest risks with this wool sweater are moths—if they decide to take up residence in your closet! So here’s a short article to help you keep them from invading your home. And then, of course, there are snags and pulled threads. Our advice: stay away from paper clips and Captain Hook. And if it’s too late, here’s a quick tutorial on how to mend your sweater.
Care Instructions
CAUTION: This sweater contains wool; if it is rubbed while warm, it will felt. Therefore, wash it on the wool cycle (max 30°C) and dry it flat to prevent it from losing its shape.
Reviews of this product
The standard practice is to send review request emails a few days after the purchase. We wait a month—the minimum amount of time needed to form an informed opinion.
Customer Review Policy
When do you ask customers for reviews?
We’ll send you a review request one month after we receive your order. We believe this is the minimum amount of time needed to have worn and washed an item several times and to form a truly informed opinion. After that, all your reviews are published within a week, whether they’re positive or negative.
Do you request reviews for 100% of the products ordered by customers?
We used to do that at first, but then we realized we were starting to send way too many emails to certain customers who shop with us regularly. In short, we were spamming them a bit. Plus, it was starting to take the team way too much time to respond to reviews—since we want to reply individually and privately to almost everyone who leaves us a review. Today, we no longer ask for reviews on products that meet the following two criteria: 1/ There are enough reviews posted on the site for potential buyers to form an informed opinion about the product. 2/ We on the Loom team have read enough reviews to understand how to evolve the product into the next generation.
Just a quick thought: What proof is there that we aren't manipulating reviews by giving 5-star ratings to everything?
Honestly: nothing—we’re just giving you our word. Just like with everything else, actually: where we manufacture our products, where our wool comes from, our lab test results, and so on. The only times we might edit what you write is if your message contains spelling mistakes (and even then, quite a few slip past us) or if it’s racist, homophobic, etc. (but that’s never happened so far).
Asking for feedback after just one month isn't enough to know if the clothes are really durable, is it?
You're right—that's why we send you another email asking for a review one year after your purchase—we even ask for a photo to see how your garment has aged. We use the responses to improve our clothing and to provide information on “how this product will age” on our product pages. To avoid unnecessarily bothering our customers, we don’t ask for reviews on 100% of the products ordered: as soon as we have enough data to understand where we can improve, we stop asking for reviews after one year.