The high-neck sweater
Released in October 2025
This is the first generation of this sweater, but we're not starting from scratch: we used the same wool as for the men's ribbed sweater.
For extra softness: this is the wool from the lamb's very first shearing.
We wanted a modern shape that's easy to wear. So we designed a straight cut (not fitted), a collar that sits high on the neck, and dropped shoulders.
Most of our sweaters are knitted in Portugal, but for this one, we're trying something closer to home: it's made in France, or more precisely made in Roanne, in central France, the birthplace of French textiles. Yes, producing more locally costs us more, but at our scale, we're doing our bit to keep the craft and jobs alive in France.
The techniques behind the quality
Carded wool
Why does wool keep you warm? Because it traps nearly 80% of air in its fibres, which makes it the best natural insulator. And if it's carded (in other words, "hairy"), it retains heat even better than a smooth "combed" wool (the kind we use on our classic sweater, for example).
Carded wool
Chainette yarn
Sewn seams
Elastane reinforcement
Chainette yarn
Wool can pill, even more so when it's carded. To limit this, we chose a "chainette" yarn, where the strands of wool are twisted together while leaving air inside. Our tests have shown that pairing this type of yarn with a tightly knitted fabric considerably reduces pilling.
And for the pills that keep showing up, you can always get rid of them with a razor**. **
Carded wool
Chainette yarn
Sewn seams
Elastane reinforcement
Sewn seams
Sweaters knitted in shaped panels (like ours) are usually joined by linking, a technique where the stitches are re-knitted together one by one. We prefer to assemble ours with classic overlock seams, because we've learned over time that this makes them stronger and more resistant to splitting, especially at the shoulders.
Carded wool
Chainette yarn
Sewn seams
Elastane reinforcement
Elastane reinforcement
We added elastane threads at the ends of the sleeves so they won't lose their shape over time
Carded wool
Chainette yarn
Sewn seams
Elastane reinforcement
A warm sweater, made in France
We wanted a sweater with real style: so we went for a straight cut, a high collar and dropped shoulders. And we wanted a sweater that keeps you truly warm: so we knitted it from a "carded" yarn (meaning slightly fuzzy) of supergeelong merino wool, from the sheep's first shearing. All of it made in Roanne, the birthplace of French textiles.
In detail
Jersey knit
This is the basic knit stitch, worked nice and tight in a chunky gauge (called gauge 3) to keep you warm and last over time.
High neck
The 1/1 rib knit collar (one knit stitch / one purl stitch) is naturally elastic: it lets your head through and springs back to its original shape.
Dropped shoulders
How to wear it
A few ideas if you're stuck
Composition
100% virgin wool
Origin and certifications
- Wool: South Africa and South America
- Spinning and dyeing: Italy
- Knitting and assembly: France
... not from French sheep's wool? Because it's unfortunately less fine than wool from the southern hemisphere, and because the French supply chain has almost entirely disappeared. We explain all of this in more detail on this page.
How this product will age
How do we know? We ask our customers what they think of the product one year after they've bought it. And if the product is less than a year old, we give you our predictions based on some spontaneous feedback and on our experience with similar products.
The magic of wool is that it's elastic: this sweater will lose very little of its shape. If the sleeves stretch out a bit, you can tighten them back up with an iron as explained here.
Little risk of holes at the elbows thanks to how thick the fabric is.
It might sometimes pill slightly in the areas that rub, on the sides for example... but nothing a fabric shaver can't handle (and the more pills you remove, the less likely they are to come back).
The biggest risk with this wool sweater is moths, if they settle into your wardrobe! So here's a short article to read here to stop them from moving in with you. And then, of course, there are snags and pulled threads. Our advice: keep your distance from staples and from Captain Hook. And if it's too late, here's a short tutorial to repair your sweater.
Care instructions
THIS SWEATER IS NOT MACHINE-WASHABLE: yes, wool felts and shrinks when it's rubbed and soaked in hot water. But you can do without it: wool is antibacterial and doesn't hold onto smells. So there's no need to wash this sweater, just air it out now and then.
If you really must, wash it by hand: let it soak in lukewarm water with a little shampoo or special wool detergent, gently rub the stains with your fingers, then rinse in cold water. Otherwise, washing machines usually have a "wool" setting – not to be confused with the "delicate" one, which you should never use for wool!
To keep your sweater from losing its shape, never wring it out by twisting it with your hands, and don't dry it on a hanger. Dry it flat, on a drying rack or a towel.
Environmental cost
This environmental cost is calculated using the official methodology of the French environmental labelling scheme (in force since 1 October 2025).
The label above shows the product's environmental cost according to the official methodology of France's environmental labelling scheme. It's what its manufacture "costs" nature when you look at its impact on climate change, ocean acidification, its toxicity for freshwater, and so on. Currently rolled out in the textile sector, this label should soon appear on many everyday consumer products (food, cosmetics, furniture, etc.) to help you shop more responsibly.
The turtleneck sweater therefore has an environmental cost of 2416 impact points*.
By comparison, a garment of equivalent weight, 100% acrylic, made in Bangladesh and sold by a fast fashion brand, has an environmental cost of 2592 points*.
Why this difference? Here are the main reasons:
- The production countries: manufacturing in Portugal or France requires less fossil fuel than in Bangladesh (one of the main producers of low-cost clothing). The result: this more local manufacturing limits the impact on climate change, ocean acidification and resource depletion.
- The material: wool has a fairly significant environmental impact, particularly because sheep release methane while digesting, a gas with a strong greenhouse effect. That's why the difference between the impact of our product and that of fast fashion isn't very big. However, unlike acrylic, wool has major advantages: it's warm (thanks to its insulating properties), keeps its shape (the fibre is very elastic), breathable (it wicks away sweat) and odour-resistant (it prevents bacteria from developing).
- Durability: fast fashion brands drive purchases in particular by renewing their collections very quickly and offering a huge number of items, and they discourage repairs by charging laughably low prices. This increases the number of garments sold per person and reduces the number of times a garment is worn. At Loom, we've done the opposite: we've chosen business practices that encourage our customers to keep their clothes as long as possible.
Even though we've done everything we can to make it as low as possible, the environmental impact of this product isn't negligible. So before you buy, make your clothes last as long as you can.
*Calculations made by Loom on 31 August 2026. Click the links to access the simulations from the official Ecobalyse tool and get more details on the assumptions used. Please note: the number of points isn't always exactly the same on Ecobalyse (whose method evolves regularly) as on the official environmental display (based on version 7.0 of Ecobalyse)
Reviews for this product
The standard practice is to send review request e-mails a few days after the purchase. We wait a month, the minimum time needed to form a well-informed opinion
Customer review policy
When do you ask customers for reviews?
We send you a review request one month after you receive your order. We reckon that's the minimum amount of time needed to have worn and washed a garment several times and to really form a well-informed opinion. After that, all your reviews are published within the week, whether they're good or not.
Do you ask for reviews on 100% of the products customers order?
We used to do that at first, then we realised we were starting to send far too many emails to some people who buy from us regularly. In short, we were spamming a bit. On top of that, it was starting to take up way too much of the team's time to reply to reviews - since we want to reply individually and privately to almost every person 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 shown on the site for people who want to buy to form a well-informed opinion about the product 2/ We've read enough reviews within the Loom team to understand how to improve the product for the next generation.
Hold your horses: what proves we don't tamper with reviews by slapping 5 stars everywhere?
Honestly: nothing, we're just giving you our word. Same as for everything else, by the way: where we manufacture, where our wool comes from, our lab test scores, and so on. The only times we might touch what you write are if your message contains spelling mistakes (and even then, quite a few slip past us) or if it's racist, homophobic, and so on (but that's never happened so far).
Asking for a review after a month isn't enough to know whether the clothes really are durable, is it?
You're right, which is why we send you another review request email a year after your purchase – we even ask for a photo to see how your garment has aged. The answers help us improve our clothes and provide information about "how this product will age" on our product pages. To avoid bothering our customers needlessly, we don't ask for these reviews on 100% of the products ordered: as soon as we have enough data to understand the areas for improvement, we stop asking for the one-year reviews.