Who doesn’t have a favorite sweater? I mean, a favorite sweater is one of those rare articles of clothing that can instantly raise your mood. And, in addition to your favorite, I’d say that you should have a few other almost favorites to wear in different weather and to different kinds of events.
It’s a little too early in the article to go off the rails, so let’s get back on track: In this article, we’re going to help you refresh your sweater closet by covering the eight best sweater brands for men. There are super luxurious brands on the list that will overwhelm you with cashmere and merino wool, but there’s also some down-to-earth companies that produce great-looking sweaters, too. Not to mention brands that specialize in hoodies and crewnecks and everything in between. In other words, there’s a sweater brand for everyone!
Let’s jump right into it.
Key Takeaways
I’ll be honest and say that this was one of my favorite articles to work on for a very long time. That’s because I really love sweaters and had a great time looking through the new and old options that are being offered by my favorite brands.
After a lot of thought, I decided to recommend Wax London to top this list of the best sweater brands for men. It’s a super hip and super cool brand that wears its location in its name. I go to London a fair bit, and not only do I always check out a Wax London store, but I also see their products being worn on the streets all the time. However, the brand beat out a lot of incredibly strong competition to make it to the top of the list. I think that the ultra-luxurious Italian brand Luca Faloni deserves a special mention, as well as chill and down-to-earth Pangaia.
Why this brand is great: Wax London is an upscale UK brand that’s been on my radar for a really long time. Not that long, actually, since the brand was launched only in 2015, but it feels like a long time. I’m a huge fan of the way that they give classic designs and concepts a modern touch, and their line of sweaters is no different.
Why this sweater? The Wilde – Natural Landscape Print Wool Jumper is certainly an eye-catching offering from Wax London. It manages to pull off the graphic print look and combine it with the comfy crew neck sweater. I think that’s because the colors are all muted, but trust me when I say that it really works both in photos and in real life.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: It can be hard to style a lot of sweaters from Wax London, especially the Wilde – Natural Landscape Print Wool Jumper, but I like to view it as an interesting challenge.
Fit: Standard | Material: 100% wool | Sizes: XS–XXL | Colors: 1 | Care: Hand wash or dry clean only
Why this brand is great: There’s no question that buying clothes, sweaters, or anything else can get expensive quickly. But they’re the sort of brand whose quality you can feel as soon as you touch one of their garments. I love it when my expensive purchases are backed up by real value that you can see directly.
Why this sweater? The Luca Faloni Zip Cardigan, available in 5 excellent colors, simply oozes class. It’s made from a crazy nice silk-cashmere blend, and it’s no exaggeration to say that it feels like heaven.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: It’s a fairly light sweater, which means you’ll really be able to wear it only in the fall and spring. It doesn’t do too well in extreme heat or extreme cold.
Fit: Tight | Material: 30% Silk, 70% Cashmere | Sizes: XS–3XL | Colors: 5 | Care: Hand Wash Cold or Dry Clean
Why this brand is great: When it comes to everyday wear, nothing beats simple and unshowy clothes that you don’t have to think too much about when you put them on in the morning. And that’s exactly what Collars & Co specializes in. Their line of sweaters are all high-quality and easy to wear, and as a result, they won’t ever spend much time in your closet.
Why this sweater? The Heather Cloud Cotton Quarter-Zip Pullover is a nice and clean-looking quarter zip sweater that you can definitely wear to see your grandmother or to go anywhere else you need to look nice. But it’s so comfortable that you’ll also find yourself reaching for it whenever you’re going to the store, as well.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: There are a lot of different color options, but I can’t say that I’m as equally big a fan as all of them. The ones I like, I really like, though.
Fit: Standard | Material: 100% Heathered Cotton Blend | Sizes: S–3XL | Colors: 10 | Care: Machine Wash
Why this brand is great: The next brand I want to take a look at, Waht’s, does the wool sweater better than almost anyone else. They put a lot of effort into finding great wool products, both Merino and conventional, that won’t itch or annoy you at all.
Why this sweater? The ROGERS Midweight Ribbed Rollneck Pullover can quickly become a staple item in your wardrobe during the fall and winter. It’s made from Merino Wool, and it feels just as great as it looks.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: Some people might prefer regular wool to merino wool, since the former is a bit more hardy and a bit warmer than merino wool.
Fit: Standard | Material: 100% Merino wool | Sizes: S–2XL | Colors: 3 | Care: Hand Wash Cold
Why this brand is great: Pangaia is a notable brand that sets itself apart by innovating and bringing cutting-edge science to materials and fashion generally. They’ve put that material knowledge to full use in their line of sweaters and hoodies. My theory is that if you’re going to dress down, you have to wear really high-quality clothes. That’s why I often spend more money on my hoodies than on my dressier-looking sweaters.
Why this sweater? First of all, the Pangaia 365 Heavyweight Hoodie does exactly what a monochrome hoodie should do, keep you comfortable while looking great. As well, the blend of organic and recycled cotton that they’ve used for this hoodie is both warm and breathable, which is exactly what you want.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: There’s a small amount of little white writing on the right-hand side of the hoodie. Although some might not like that, I think it adds a lot of character.
Fit: Oversized | Material: 50% Organic Cotton, 50% Recycled Cotton | Sizes: XXS–3XL | Colors: 10 | Care: Machine Wash
Why this brand is great: Sometimes, when you’re on your way out into nature, the absolute best thing you can put on is a simple crew neck sweater. This Danish brand creates amazing sweaters that look great but are also able to stand up to the tests of the outdoors.
Why this sweater? The Relax Jacquard Knit – Stone is a sweater that will feel right out home in the outdoors, but it’s also more than nice enough to wear in your normal life. It’s perfectly in line with the Nordic minimalism that Foret is a key part of.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: My only issue with this sweater is the addition of Polyamide to the mix, but that might help the wool feel less itchy to some.
Fit: Oversized | Material: 80% Wool (35% Recycled) 20% Recycled Polyamide | Sizes: 40 x 70 | Colors: 3 | Care: Hand Wash Cold
Why this brand is great: As much as I love new, trendy brands like Wax London, I keep a lot of space in my heart for those classic brands like Hanes and Levis. I mean, they’re salt of the earth, aren’t they? On top of that, Hines makes really great clothes that are affordable, look nice, and will last you a long time. What else do you need?
Why this sweater? Whether you’re heading to the store or lounging around the house, having access to something like the Hanes EcoSmart Fleece Cotton-Blend Pullover can make you feel infinitely more comfortable. I particularly like the inclusion of fleece, which really makes it a year-round item.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: You could accuse Hines of making safe and easy designs that aren’t too interesting, and that’s true, but you could also think of the brand as one that produces wardrobe staples at an affordable price.
Fit: Standard | Material: 80% Cotton, 20% Polyester | Sizes: S–5XL | Colors: 20 | Care: Machine Wash
Why this brand is great: Next up, we have one of the most popular online-only and budget-friendly brands on Amazon—COOFANDY. They’re famous for having an absolutely huge amount of styles and types of clothes available, and sweaters are certainly no exception. But the best thing about COOFANDY is that, despite the huge amount of selection, they deliver each item with enough quality to make it worth it.
Why this sweater? Well, I’m a huge fan of the turtleneck sweater, even if it does go in and out of style. It’s just classy and really makes you look like you know what’s going on. And the COOFANDY Men’s Ribbed Turtleneck Sweater is a really great take on the classic concept.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: This is a really slim-fitting sweater, so just make sure you get the correct size.
Fit: Tight | Material: 100% Polyester | Sizes: XS–4XL | Colors: 25 | Care: Machine Wash
What Makes The Best Sweater Brands For Men?
Weight
As a product category, sweaters are a big house that contains a lot of different rooms. You have super light and thin sweaters like the silk-cashmere Luca Faloni Zip Cardigan, as well as thick and heavy numbers like the Foret Relax Jacquard Knit.
Of course, the weight of a sweater makes a huge difference to how it feels to move around in it, not to mention how warm it is. And what type of sweater you should get depends on both your climate and the gaps in your wardrobe. If you live in Southern California, for example, I’m not sure how much sense it makes to have three heavy sweaters taking up valuable space in your wardrobe. But you do probably need one. You know what you need in terms of weight.
Material Composition & Quality
It’s definitely true that a whole lot of people are really picky about the material that their sweaters are made out of. And it also definitely makes a lot of sense since you’re covering the whole upper half of your body with it.
The most common issue is that lots of people don’t like wool sweaters, finding them itchy. I always tell my friends with that opinion to try out Merino Wool (like Waht’s ROGER Midweight Ribbed Rollneck Pullover), but there are other alternatives as well, such as cotton and cashmere. I’d recommend that you go with what you’re usually most comfortable wearing.
Whatever material you choose, try to find a high-quality version of it by investigating where a particular brand sources its materials and also by reading customer reviews.
Fit
Finally, you need to think about the fit of the sweater that you want to get. The decision actually isn’t an easy one since it comes down to both the ‘function’ of the sweater (i.e., where and how you plan to wear it) and its form (what it looks like and how you like to look). Sure, a super big and baggy sweater might feel great on your couch, but you might not be able to wear it to a restaurant. Or maybe you can, depending on exactly what it looks like.
At the end of the day, you should choose a sweater that has a fit that you’ll feel comfortable wearing and a look that you’d be happy wearing in lots of different places.
How We Chose
Finding the best sweater brands for men was no easy feat. There are a lot of factors that go into creating a list that ranks entire brands rather than specific products, as well as lots of tough questions to answer. For instance, should you pick a brand that does a lot of things well over a brand that has a really strong and singular identity? Well, it depends on the exact brands you’re talking about. As always, I made decisions about what brands are featured on this list based on objective research and a desire to find value for FashionBeans readers.
In addition, I used the following three criteria to help guide my search for the absolute best sweater brands for men.
Brand Reputation: For this list in particular, examining the track records of the brands that I recommended was crucial for obvious reasons. It’s about the brands.
Innovative Design: I also worked hard to ensure that all the sweater brands on this list bring something new and interesting to the table in terms of their design. After all, you probably want to be wearing something that feels new and cutting-edge.
Price: And, last but not least, I made sure that all the brands and products on this list have the value that’s necessary to justify their cost. I hate overpaying for clothes as much as the next guy.
Why Trust Us?
The FashionBeans editorial team contains a lot of fashion experts with a lot of different areas of expertise. That’s why you can pretty much trust anything that we write about any product category—we have someone who’s an expert in it. You can check out our articles about the best autumn/winter knitwear, the best cable knit jumpers, and the best half zip jumpers if you still have any doubts.
However, when it comes to the best men’s sweater brands, we might have covered the category as extensively as we ever had before. We have several sweater experts, and they all had their say about what brands ultimately made and missed this list.
Final Verdict
Overall, I felt that I had to give the title of the best sweater brand for men to Wax London. They’re a brand of the moment, producing winning design after winning design. Not only is their Wilde – Natural Landscape Print Wool Jumper simply excellent, they also offer hoodies, cardigans, and a few other styles of knitwear. Check them out, dude. Trust me, you won’t regret finding your new favorite men’s sweater brand.
FAQ
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To be honest, the question of how to know if a sweater is good quality is similar to how you know if a bottle of wine is good quality. If you know, you kind of just know. You can keep an eye out for the best men’s sweater brands with a reputation for quality, feature interesting designs, or are made from quality materials.
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There are a ton of different styles that you could reasonably call the best sweater style for men, from Crewnecks to Hoodies to the Standard Wool Knit. Some people might even say cardigans are the best style for men, but I would say that those people are just wrong. Other than that, I can’t really decide such a huge issue with any finality.
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