The ribbed sweater
To be released in December 2024
Supergeelong: virgin wool from the first shearing of Merino lambs, which is both very soft and very warm.
Our wool comes from Papi Fabio, an Italian spinner specializing in carded wool.
Very warm sweater: about 800g for a size M (compared to 600g for our thick sweater)
Why is this knit pattern so beautiful? There’s a technical explanation: when the fabric is highly textured, the low points and high points catch the light differently, creating micro-contrasts that are visually rich.
This sweater is made in Portugal at the Elmate factory, with which we have been working since 2018.
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 thick sweaters, for example).
Carded wool
Chain stitch
Knit as tightly as possible
Chain stitch
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
Knit as tightly as possible
Knit as tightly as possible
For better hold and to minimize pilling.
Carded wool
Chain stitch
Knit as tightly as possible
Our warmest sweater
800 grams of wool, a “carded” yarn (meaning it’s slightly fuzzy), and a fisherman’s stitch: the result is a nice, chunky sweater that makes you want to set out to sea and brave the bitter cold. But it’s also perfect for reading by the fireplace: we chose Supergeelong merino wool , sourced from the lambs’ first shearing.
In detail
Fisherman's Point
Also known as “English half-rib,” this knitting stitch creates a thick, stretchy (and therefore more comfortable)... and beautiful sweater.
Raglan sleeves
They are often used in athletic wear for comfort and because they allow for good freedom of movement.
Ribbed cuffs
2/2 ribbing (two knit stitches, two purl stitches) for the collar and 1/1 ribbing (one knit stitch, one purl stitch) for the sleeve cuffs.
"Decrease" Knitting
The panels (back, front, sleeves, and collar) are knitted directly to the correct shape: this creates a better fit and prevents wasting yarn.
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: Portugal
... 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 at all. If the sleeves stretch out a little, you can tighten them up by ironing them, as explained here.
There is little risk of holes forming at the elbows thanks to the thickness of the fabric.
It might occasionally develop a few pills in areas prone to friction, such as the sides... but nothing that can't be fixed with a lint shaver (and the more pills you remove, the less likely they are to reappear).
The biggest risks with this wool sweater are:
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 ribbed sweater therefore has an environmental cost of 3,868 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 4,137 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.