The high-neck sweater
October 2025
This is the first generation of this sweater, but we’re not starting from scratch: we used the same yarn as for the men’s ribbed sweater.
For extra softness: this wool comes from the lamb's very first shearing.
We wanted a modern, easy-to-wear style. 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 to bring production back home: it’s made in France—more specifically, in Roanne, the cradle of the French textile industry. Yes, producing more locally costs us more, but on our own small scale, we’re helping to preserve craftsmanship and jobs in France.
Techniques That Ensure Quality
Carded wool
Why does wool keep you warm? Because it traps nearly 80% air within its fibers, making it the best natural insulator. And if it’s carded (that is, “fuzzy”), it retains even more heat than smooth, “combed” wool (which is used in our classic sweater, for example).
Carded wool
Chain stitch
Sewing Assembly
Spandex reinforcement
Fil chaînette
Wool can pill, especially if it’s carded. To minimize this, we chose a “chain-stitch” yarn, where the strands of wool are twisted together while leaving air inside. Our tests have shown that by combining this type of yarn with a tight knit, you can significantly reduce pilling.
And for any pills that still manage to appear, you can always get rid of them with a quick pass of a razor**. **
Carded wool
Chain stitch
Sewing Assembly
Spandex reinforcement
Sewing Assembly
Generally, sweaters knitted in decreasing panels (like ours) are assembled using the re-knitting technique, in which the stitches are re-knitted together one by one. We prefer to assemble them with classic overlock seams, because we’ve come to realize over time that this increases their strength and resistance to cracking, especially at the shoulders.
Carded wool
Chain stitch
Sewing Assembly
Spandex reinforcement
Spandex reinforcement
We've added spandex threads to the cuffs to prevent them from stretching out over time.
Carded wool
Chain stitch
Sewing Assembly
Spandex reinforcement
A warm sweater made in France
We wanted a sweater with style, so we went with a straight cut, a high neck, and dropped shoulders. And we wanted a sweater that would keep you nice and warm: so we knitted it using a “carded” (i.e., slightly fuzzy) yarn made from Supergeelong merino wool, sourced from the sheep’s first shearing. All made in Roanne, the cradle of the French textile industry.
In detail
Jersey stitch
It's a basic stockinette stitch, knitted very tightly in a large gauge (known as gauge 3) to keep you warm and ensure it lasts a long time.
Stand-up collar
The 1/1 ribbed collar (one knit stitch, one purl stitch) is naturally stretchy: it allows the head to pass through and returns to its original shape.
Slumped 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 made from French sheep's wool? Because, unfortunately, it's not as fine as wool from the Southern Hemisphere, and because the French wool industry has almost completely disappeared. We explain all of this in more detail on this page.
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. If the sleeves stretch out a bit, you can tighten them up with a quick pass of the iron, as explained here.
There’s little risk of holes forming at the elbows thanks to the thickness of the fabric.
It might occasionally pill slightly in areas prone to friction, such as the sides… but nothing that a quick pass with a lint shaver can’t fix (and the more you remove the pills, the less likely they are to reappear).
The biggest risks with this wool sweater are moths—if they take up residence in your closet! So here’s a short article to read on how to keep them from invading your home. And then, of course, there are snags and pulled threads. Our advice: stay away from safety pins and Captain Hook. And if it’s too late, here’s a quick tutorial on how to mend your sweater.
Care Instructions
THIS SWEATER IS NOT MACHINE-WASHABLE: That’s right—wool felts and shrinks when it’s rubbed and soaked in hot water. But you don’t really need to wash it: wool is antibacterial and doesn’t hold onto odors. So there’s no need to wash this sweater—just air it out every once in a while.
If you really want to, wash it by hand: soak it in lukewarm water with a little shampoo or special wool detergent, gently rub the stains with your fingers, then rinse with cold water. Otherwise, washing machines usually have “wool” cycles—not to be confused with “delicate” cycles, which should never be used for wool!
To prevent your sweater from losing its shape, do not wring it out by twisting it with your hands, and do not hang it on a hanger to dry. 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 labeling system (to be rolled out starting October 1, 2025).
The label above shows the product’s environmental cost according to the official French environmental labeling methodology. This represents what its production “costs” nature when considering its impact on climate change, ocean acidification, its toxicity to freshwater, and so on. Currently in use in the textile sector, this label should soon appear on many everyday consumer products (food, cosmetics, furniture, etc.) to help you make more eco-friendly purchasing decisions.
The high-neck sweater therefore has an environmental cost of 2,416 impact points*.
By comparison, a garment of equivalent weight—made of 100% acrylic, manufactured in Bangladesh, and sold by a fast-fashion brand—has an environmental cost of 2,592 points*.
Why is there this difference? Here are the main reasons:
- Countries of origin: Manufacturing in Portugal or France requires less fossil fuel energy than in Bangladesh (one of the leading producers of low-cost clothing). As a result, this more local manufacturing reduces the impacts on climate change, ocean acidification, and resource depletion.
- The material: Wool has a fairly significant environmental impact, particularly because sheep release methane—a powerful greenhouse gas—during digestion. For this reason, the difference between the environmental impact of our product and that of fast fashion is not very significant. However, unlike acrylic, wool has major advantages: it is warm (thanks to its insulating properties), retains its shape (the fiber is very elastic), breathable (it wicks away sweat), and odor-resistant (it prevents the growth of bacteria).
- Sustainability: Fast-fashion retailers encourage purchasing—in particular by rapidly refreshing their collections and offering a vast number of styles—and they discourage repairs by charging rock-bottom prices. This, in turn, increases the number of garments sold per person and reduces the number of times a garment is worn. In contrast, at Loom, we’ve chosen to adopt business practices that encourage our customers to keep their clothes for as long as possible.
Even though we've done everything we can to minimize it, this product's environmental impact is not insignificant. So before you buy, make sure to get the most use out of your clothes.
*Calculations performed by Loom on August 24, 2026. Click on 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 is not always exactly the same on Ecobalyse (whose methodology changes regularly) as on the official environmental label (based on Ecobalyse version 7.0).
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.