Menswear
Ethical British-Made Men's Knitwear — Voted by the Community
This directory lists 11 brands that make ethical men's knitwear in the UK. Prices run from affordable to luxury. Ranked by community upvotes.
Community Clothing
Community Clothing is a British brand founded in 2016 by Patrick Grant. They produce affordable, high-quality, seasonless staples in the UK, supporting local factories and minimising waste.
- Casual
- Classic
- Ethical
- Casual
- Classic
- Ethical
Sims Wear
Sims Wear crafts timeless British menswear using top-quality natural fibres, made to last. Discover elevated wardrobe essentials, knitted-to-order in the UK.
- Classic
- Ethical
- Timeless
- Classic
- Ethical
- Timeless
See these brands on the map12 places from 7 brands, 7 of them shops you can visit.Open the map
WAWWA
WAWWA is a Manchester clothing brand making functional, gender-inclusive everyday wear in its own UK factory. They work to a pre-order model, use organic and recycled materials, and pay the real Living Wage.
- Casual
- Contemporary
- Ethical
Shop to visit- Casual
- Contemporary
- Ethical
Phoebe English
Clothing made in England attempting a variety of solutions towards less extractive fashion systems. Est 2011.
- Bridal
- Casual
- Classic
Shop to visit- Bridal
- Casual
- Classic
Carrier Company
Carrier Company is a family-run British brand crafting sustainable clothing and equipment since 1995. Each piece is handcrafted using locally sourced materials, inspired by North Norfolk’s traditions of gardening and foraging.
- Classic
- Country
- Ethical
Shop to visit- Classic
- Country
- Ethical
Olive Pearson Designs
Unique, contemporary fair-isle, unisex knitted accessories - all designed and handcrafted by Olive.
- Colourful
- Contemporary
- Ethical
- Colourful
- Contemporary
- Ethical
Glencroft
Glencroft, established in 1987, offers classic British countrywear made from natural fibres like British Wool and Harris Tweed, inspired by rural Yorkshire.
- Classic
- Country
- Ethical
Factory shop- Classic
- Country
- Ethical
Oubas
Oubas is a British knitwear brand founded in 2012 by Kate Stalker, creating timeless pieces using ethically sourced materials and supporting UK artisans. They produce knitwear in Cumbria and work with traditional mills in England.
- Contemporary
- Ethical
- Timeless
Factory shop- Contemporary
- Ethical
- Timeless
Monkstone Knitwear
Create limited products from their flock, small batch knitwear & homeware.
- Country
- Ethical
- Heritage
Factory shop- Country
- Ethical
- Heritage
Izzy Lane
Izzy Lane is a pioneering British fashion brand, the first ever slaughter-free wool label, rescuing sheep from slaughter and championing ethical, traceable clothing.
- Country
- Ethical
- Vintage
- Country
- Ethical
- Vintage
Charl Knitwear
Charl Knitwear is a British knitwear brand designed in England and crafted in England and Italy, specialising in sustainable jumpers and cardigans inspired by Norfolk Gansey heritage patterns.
- Classic
- Ethical
- Slow Fashion
- Classic
- Ethical
- Slow Fashion
Shops run by brands that make ethical men's knitwear
6 of the 11 brands that make ethical men's knitwear have a shop you can visit in Clapham, Flookburgh, Holt and 4 other towns.
Clapham
Glencroftfactory shop
Flookburgh
Oubasfactory shop
Holt
Saundersfoot
Monkstone Knitwearfactory shop
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Tenby
This independent directory lists UK-made clothing brands, and marks those that make only some items here.Why choose British-made?
A Brief History of British Made Knitwear
Knitting in Britain long predates the factory. Knitted woollen caps were made at Monmouth by the fifteenth century, and hand-knitted stockings were available during the sixteenth. Mechanisation came early. In 1589 William Lee, curate of Calverton in Nottinghamshire, invented the stocking frame, the first knitting machine. Framework knitting spread across the East Midlands, and by 1851 Leicester and Nottingham each had thousands of frames. The trade moved into factories in the second half of the nineteenth century. Lea Mills in Derbyshire was founded in 1784 by Peter Nightingale and John Smedley to spin cotton, and moved into knitting towards the end of the eighteenth century. John Smedley still makes knitwear there, and the company describes it as the world's longest-running factory. Regional styles added variety. The guernsey, or gansey, a fisherman's jumper named after the Channel Island, was knitted in fishing communities around the British coast. Fair Isle colourwork from Shetland became fashionable after the Prince of Wales wore it in public in 1921. British-made knitwear today draws on both these hand and machine traditions.