Christmas sweaters — or “jumpers” in the UK — were once only thought stylish by knitting-needle wielding grannies, but are now enjoying a renaissance in Britain after being adopted as a festive fashion statement by young revelers.
Responding to soaring demand for the colorful and eccentric creations, vintage clothing group Beyond Retro has opened a temporary store selling only Christmas jumpers in London’s trendy Old Street.
“It isn’t just hipsters that are doing it now, it’s everybody — office workers to mums, dads, kids, buying them for their whole family, everyone is getting involved and that’s what so exciting,” said Ashley Emerson, head of development at Beyond Retro.
Photo: AFP
One happy customer was Louisa Tomlenson, a 33-year-old housewife.
“We’re all going to wear it [on Christmas Day] — my husband, the children and everyone,” she said. “It’s everywhere, in lots of shops.”
Times have changed since the 2001 smash film Bridget Jones’s Diary in which Colin Firth’s character Mark Darcy is made to look uncool by wearing a green woollen pullover decorated with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
“The novelty knit ... has rocketed up the cool-o-meter this season,” said department store Debenhams, which has recorded a 200 percent increase in sales from last Christmas.
Supermarket Asda has also seen sales take off, with an increase of 160 percent.
While bargain-hunters can still snap up cheap festive jumpers — 100 percent acrylic — high-rollers can easily spend more than ￡200 (US$314) on Cashmere or alpaca garments.
Surfing the trend, British non-governmental organization Save the Children has since 2012 run a “Christmas Jumpers Day” on Dec. 12, when those wearing seasonal knitwear are asked to donate a small sum for charity.
“Last year, we were lucky enough to raise ￡1.5 million, with over a million people taking part,” Save the Children financial director Tanya Steele said. “We’re hoping to double that this year. We already have well over a million people signed up.”
“Christmas jumpers have been part of the British psyche and part of Christmas for decades,” she said, putting their resurgence down to a combination of factors.
The sweaters’ traditional style chimes with the rise of Scandinavian fashion and taste for vintage, while the mass of Christmas parties gives socialites the chance to show off their purchases all through the month of December and their unsophisticated designs appeal to Britain’s self-deprecating sense of humor.
“The English do like being a bit different and having their own cheesy or individual look,” Tomlenson said.
After picking up her sweater, Nicky Burgess, a 31-year-old lawyer, told reporters: “It’s kitsch, it’s cheesy, but because it’s this time of the year, people are more inclined to get on board with this kind of thing, particularly on office parties and nights out.”
“It’s great fun,” she added.
With competition rife to find the most eye-catching knitwear, those incorporating three-dimensional elements, such as Rudolph’s nose or Santa’s beard, are especially sought after.
“A few years ago, people would be like: ‘Oh no I couldn’t wear that’” Emerson laughed.
“But this year everyone has being coming in saying: ‘I want your craziest jumpers,’” she said.
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