The S/S 2022 menswear shows touted cocooning, kaleidoscopic and crafty cardigans as the knitwear silhouette of choice.
Milanese brands promoted prismatic, patterned and painterly shapes that reflected the exuberant spirit of the city – from Missoni’s signature chevron to Marni’s brushstroke stripes.
London-based brand Erdem, which presented its first men’s collection for spring, made a case for striped sleeveless jumpers and paintbox-red chunky cardigans in a Sebastian Flyte-meets-1970s-style-icon take on dressing. Meanwhile, the aesthetic of 1980s cinema informed young knitwear label Leorosa’s cardigan designs, which were colour-blocked, boxy creations that riffed on a preppy Ivy League polish.
Fellow fledgling label Waste Yarn Project also favoured contrasting yarn colours, creating collared cardigans formed using asymmetric panels in hues such as turquoise, yellow, fuchsia and orange. Demonstrating an anti-waste approach, each individual style is woven using leftover wool from a Shanghai factory. So instead of being left to gather dust in boxes on a factory floor, the yarns now cocoon the body in bold colour. §
Cardigan, €530; cardigan (worn underneath), €600; cardigan (in the air), €530, all by Waste Yarn Project. Sandals, £750, by Prada. Socks, €25, by Bresciani
Cardigan, £745; top, £495; jumper (in the air), £360, all by Jil Sander by Lucie and Luke Meier. Shorts, £395, by Erdem. Sandals, £750, by Prada. Socks, €25 per pair, by Bresciani