Working on a Handmade Cashmere Sweatshirt — Would love your thoughts

[christianGV]

I’ve been quietly working on something over the past few months — a small project that started as an experiment in simplicity and quality.


The idea was to take the familiar shape of a sweatshirt, but make it entirely from hand-combed cashmere, produced by a small family atelier in Nepal, close to where the fibers are sourced.


The process is slow and deliberate — from combing and spinning the yarns, to the final finishing. Each piece is individually numbered (only 25 exist), and I’ve been refining every detail — the weight, texture, and proportions — to make it feel as honest and pure as possible.


This one is No. 17 of 25, in a warm brown-beige tone.


I’d really appreciate your thoughts —
not so much from a commercial angle, but more about the feeling it gives you:
Does the idea of a piece like this still have a place today?
Something understated, handmade, and almost meditative in its simplicity.


— Christian

 

[christianGV]

one more picture

 

[Phuel]

Lovely. From the sourcing, to the simplicity of the form, to the packaging.

Other than I would have much preferred a classic all-grey colorway, there’s not much to say since it’s really just a sweater in design. Would have been neat to see the inclusion of the classic v-insert at the collar just for tradition’s sake, since it’s such a signature of the heritage of a sweatshirt, even if it may not have a purpose for your cashmere version. Someone like Grace Wales Bonner would have included such a sartorial detail.

 

[christianGV]

Lovely. From the sourcing, to the simplicity of the form, to the packaging.

Other than I would have much preferred a classic all-grey colorway, there’s not much to say since it’s really just a sweater in design. Would have been neat to see the inclusion of the classic v-insert at the collar just for tradition’s sake, since it’s such a signature of the heritage of a sweatshirt, even if it may not have a purpose for your cashmere version. Someone like Grace Wales Bonner would have included such a sartorial detail.

That’s a great point — I actually considered adding a V-insert early on, mostly as a subtle nod to the sweatshirt’s heritage. I ended up keeping it completely clean this time to let the texture and weight of the cashmere stand out, but I might incorporate a tonal V detail in the next iteration — it would add just enough structure without taking away from the simplicity.

And yes, an all-grey version is definitely on my mind for what comes next.

 

[MulletProof]

Looks yummy, Christian! 🤎

Of course this type of work has a place today, I would say there's a void because simple usually goes in directions all aimed at either making a statement ('less is more', 'luxury', 'quiet luxury', clean, queen of all things beige on instagram, etc) or at embodying status. Meditative and understated is exactly what I get from the color, packaging, even the way you photographed it.. and probably what some of us go to Muji's Labo for (except that is just understated, it doesn't exactly emit calmness or thoughtfulness the way your piece does).

I would wear this color (instead of Phuel's gray!) just because I don't own anything brown-beige.

Going to @ runner just because I think he'll like this and lives in a place where this is probably appreciated more than anywhere else. @runner

 

[Salvatore]

I'd totally buy and wear that. I feel it is something that could be easy to wear and still be luxurious and could be a staple in a wardrobe. Lovely.

 

[Phuel]

That’s a great point — I actually considered adding a V-insert early on, mostly as a subtle nod to the sweatshirt’s heritage. I ended up keeping it completely clean this time to let the texture and weight of the cashmere stand out, but I might incorporate a tonal V detail in the next iteration — it would add just enough structure without taking away from the simplicity.

And yes, an all-grey version is definitely on my mind for what comes next.

Thank you for sharing some of your thought-process, Christian. Always a pleasure when creatives would share more of their technical process of how a garment is realized, how that garment is expended to a look, and eventually even a collection etc etc. The video of Dior Homme's Follow Me had an interview with Hedi backstage, where he stated that he based the collection on the construction of a 19th-century coat. Unfortunately the interview was cut off from there— whether he spoke more of the design process, or that was it, it was disappointing to not have learned more of that collection from a technical POV.

Anyway, the gauge of your garment looks delightfully plush, and the ply looks exquisitely lush. I’d love to see a pair of classic matching “sweatpants” for a total look when you’re ready to produce the colorway in that classic 1950s gym-class heather grey. One of my first designer garment was a wool/mohair(/synthetic) “sweatshirt" by mainline Giorgio Armani that I still wear to this day, decades later; the classic design had that v-insert that to this day, and despite its utilitarian origins, remains so full of an understated charm and lax lux.

(BTW, I adore that Mullet will don the appearance of this serene gentlewomen favouring genteel cashmere in a tasteful oatmeal palette that belies the seething spirit of a seasoned, battle-hardened, fishmonger’s wife at an instant, who’s been expertly trolling adult gays since she was a minor. Gogo Yubari comes to mind LMFAO)

 

[Not Plain Jane]

I’ve been quietly working on something over the past few months — a small project that started as an experiment in simplicity and quality.


The idea was to take the familiar shape of a sweatshirt, but make it entirely from hand-combed cashmere, produced by a small family atelier in Nepal, close to where the fibers are sourced.


The process is slow and deliberate — from combing and spinning the yarns, to the final finishing. Each piece is individually numbered (only 25 exist), and I’ve been refining every detail — the weight, texture, and proportions — to make it feel as honest and pure as possible.


This one is No. 17 of 25, in a warm brown-beige tone.


I’d really appreciate your thoughts —
not so much from a commercial angle, but more about the feeling it gives you:
Does the idea of a piece like this still have a place today?
Something understated, handmade, and almost meditative in its simplicity.


— Christian

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It's beautiful & classic; this piece looks lush but also cozy. Great work!

 

[christianGV]

Looks yummy, Christian! 🤎

Of course this type of work has a place today, I would say there's a void because simple usually goes in directions all aimed at either making a statement ('less is more', 'luxury', 'quiet luxury', clean, queen of all things beige on instagram, etc) or at embodying status. Meditative and understated is exactly what I get from the color, packaging, even the way you photographed it.. and probably what some of us go to Muji's Labo for (except that is just understated, it doesn't exactly emit calmness or thoughtfulness the way your piece does).

I would wear this color (instead of Phuel's gray!) just because I don't own anything brown-beige.

Going to @ runner just because I think he'll like this and lives in a place where this is probably appreciated more than anywhere else. @runner

I really appreciate that — thank you.
That balance between simplicity and calmness is what I’ve been chasing from the start. The process itself was slow and quite meditative, so it’s nice to hear that it somehow comes through in the finished piece.

 

[christianGV]

I'd totally buy and wear that. I feel it is something that could be easy to wear and still be luxurious and could be a staple in a wardrobe. Lovely.

Thank you — that’s very kind of you.
I wanted it to feel effortless, but still carry a quiet sense of refinement — something that becomes part of someone’s rhythm rather than just their wardrobe.