It’s been almost a year since my last Cuyana review (which was of their alpaca sweater here) even though I’ve done a lot of Cuyana reviews in the past (all of them here). I generally like Cuyana’s stuff even though it can be quite pricey, including this recycled cashmere crewneck sweater that goes for $255. I know, it’s a lot. But for good reason since this sweater is made of 95% recycled cashmere (and 5% wool), which I understand is expensive because their recycled cashmere comes from an Italian mill that takes apart old cashmere sweaters (I got this info from this Forbes article about recycled cashmere —it’s a good read if you have time). As far as I know Cuyana is the only brand that does this. Patagonia also has a 95% recycled cashmere sweater but their recycled cashmere comes from pre-consumer cashmere scraps. Everlane also has a recycled cashmere sweater, called ReCashmere, which I reviewed here. But they only use 60% recycled cashmere, and the 40% wool makes it feel more like a wool sweater.
{Wearing: Cuyana recycled cashmere sweater, Everlane cheeky jeans, Martiniano Glove shoes, Celine nano belt bag}
So does Cuyana’s recycled cashmere sweater feel more like a cashmere sweater than Everlane’s ReCashmere? That’s a definite yes. But I have to say it still does not feel like a 100% cashmere sweater. And yet that doesn’t make this sweater any less luxurious. It still feels soft and the wool doesn’t feel itchy to me. The knit is very thick so even though this is a light colored sweater, I don’t have any issues with it being see-through. This is a 100% opaque sweater, unlike the light Last Brand cashmere sweater I tried (Last Brand cashmere review here). Cuyana’s recycled cashmere is way more luxurious than any cheap cashmere sweater on the market, and it’s supposed to get better with wear since the recycled fibers will soften with washings. And of course the Cuyana recycled cashmere is much better for the environment since it saves on livestock management, energy to clean and process the fibers, water from dyes, etc.
But to be honest I didn’t keep this sweater because of several reasons:
The fit just didn’t work for my frame. I’m wearing a small here and it way oversized. It looks somewhat better with a tuck but I’m not one to tuck in sweaters regularly. This sweater style is probably better for taller people.
I already have too many cashmere sweater so adding another sweater to my closet is no bueno. I’ll borrow Cuyana’s slogan here and say I’ll stick with fewer, better things.
And the price, eek!
I really wanted to love this sweater but it just didn’t work out. But if you’re in the market to buy a quality cashmere sweater that does the least harm to the environment, this is a good contender (as long as your wallet can handle it and you’re taller than 5’4”). True to their slogan this is definitely a better (in terms of the environment) cashmere sweater. But if you already have a ton of cashmere sweaters in your closet, you can be equally sustainable by not buying any more cashmere sweaters (which is what I’m trying to do now). Or even better but used (which I’m starting to come around to with some help from readers, thanks!).
P.S. Speaking of Cuyana’s Fewer, Better slogan, this read by eco cult brings up some good points!