An interesting historical tidbit for today: did you know that the cardigan was invented after a minor accident in front of an open fireplace? In the 1850s James Brudenell, the 7th Earl of Cardigan, supposedly stood too close to the flames and burnt off the long tails of his coat. Apparently deciding a shorter, less risky look was preferred, Lord Cardigan created the garment that now bears his name, drawing on the design of woollen vests that officers were wearing to keep warm on the many fronts of the Crimean War, which was fought around the Baltic Seas and modern-day Ukraine. As a Major General Lord Cardigan led the Charge of the Light Brigade against Russian forces in 1854 and the fame that resulted made his brand new, long-sleeved, open-fronted woollen sweater-vest famous as well.*
Meaning: the cardigan was originally strongly identified as a male garment, with specific attributes attached – strength, resilience, valour, and undoubtedly the inevitable stylishness of the Victorian aristocratic class. However, the design is also a natural evolution of a woman’s cloth wrap or shawl. Almost a century after Lord Cardigan, none other than Coco Chanel brought the design firmly and publicly into the female sphere, stating that they were a better choice than jumpers which could ruin a careful hairstyle in being pulled over one’s head.
Looking back from another hundred years on the list of iconic cardigans is as long as your arm in a lovely woolly sleeve. Olivia Newton-John dancing in Grease (1978) with a lightweight, sunshine yellow design draped across her shoulders – a metaphor for that exacting balance of prim and carefree. Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting (1997), reassuringly professorly and infinitely kind. Tom Hardy as maverick bootlegger Forrest Bondurant in Lawless (2012), looking rugged and, well, lawless, but toasty warm meantime. Indeed, Tom went viral many times over for wearing all sorts of cardigans in media interviews – we’re delighted to think of all the folk that were inspired by this to invest in their own real wool clothing.
Merrick’s Shawl Collar Cardigan, like all products in our range, is made from locally sourced, 100% finest grade Scottish Blackface wool, and bears the British Wool Traceability Mark. It features a double-thick ribbed shawl collar and deep patch pockets. All elements are hand-linked and sewn. Look out for our models Ribh, Joe, Jake, Logan and Beau wearing the Merrick cardigan across the site, keeping cosy indoors and outside.
*Apocrypha warning! The depth of the cardigan rabbit hole one could go down is quite surprising. It is unlikely to have taken until the mid-19th century for anyone to knit the open-fronted design we call a cardigan. A painting by William Holman Hunt (1859), The Schoolgirl’s Hymn, shows a young girl in a beautiful knitted piece with buttons, a small collar and flared sleeves, and she was probably not inspired by personalities in the Crimean War.