Light Cashmere Cardigan

A cardigan costs between $25 and $113 per unit landed. Affordable cotton/acrylic cut-and-sew from China with a picked-up button band: ~$25. Premium ZQ Merino fully fashioned from Portugal with a knitted-in band and horn buttons: ~$56. Luxury Grade A cashmere fully fashioned from Scotland with a welt band and hand-worked buttonholes: ~$113. The cardigan costs $3–20 more per unit than an equivalent crewneck sweater, driven entirely by the button band construction and button specification.

A picked-up band is knitted separately after the front panels are assembled — stitches are picked up from the front edge and a rib band is worked outward. The result is adequate at affordable tier but can pull and curl without stabilisation. A knitted-in band is part of the front panel itself, knitted on the flat-bed machine as an integral extension of the front panel — there is no join seam. It is the cleaner, more precise construction, available only in fully fashioned production, and adds $2–4/unit CMT.

A hand-worked buttonhole is sewn by hand using a blanket or buttonhole stitch around a cut opening, rather than by machine. It is the defining luxury detail of high-end tailoring and knitwear, visible on Savile Row jackets and on N.Peal and Loro Piana cashmere cardigans. It adds $0.50–1.00 per buttonhole — $3–6/unit on a 6-button cardigan. The hand-worked buttonhole is a visible quality signal.

Resin at affordable. Corozo at mid-premium. Horn at premium and luxury. Mother of pearl for fashion and feminine positioning. Metal toggle for heritage references. Specify button diameter, shank type, and thread colour matched to yarn. Always apply a backing button on the interior behind all button attachments on mid-gauge or heavier knit.

A zip-through cardigan uses a YKK coil zip instead of a button band and is common in sportswear or Harrington-adjacent variants. It eliminates button-band CMT and replaces it with zip cost, usually saving about $1–6 per unit overall. The real decision is positioning: zip reads sport/technical, buttons read heritage knitwear.

Plain jersey is the most commercially common. Cable stitch is strongest for heritage positioning. Moss or seed stitch is especially good for open-front cardigans because it lies flat without strong band stabilisation. Jacquard and Fair Isle add the most visual differentiation. Chunky ribs suit oversized and streetwear-adjacent positioning.

Button count is determined by front length: typically one button every 8–10cm. A standard hip-length cardigan usually carries 6–7 buttons. Cropped styles may have 3–4; longline styles may have 8–10. Always specify exact button count and placement on the tech pack.

GOTS ×1.23 for cotton, RWS ×1.08–1.12 for lambswool, ZQ ×1.12–1.18 for merino, RCS ×1.10–1.15 for cashmere, and OEKO-TEX as the baseline consumer safety credential across all fibres.

China for all tiers and the widest infrastructure. Portugal for Made in Europe premium. Scotland for luxury fully fashioned merino, lambswool, and cashmere. Italy for luxury fully fashioned cashmere and fine merino.

A shawl collar cardigan has a wide folded lapel rather than a standard rib neckband. It wraps around the neck and creates a continuous lapel from shoulder to hem. It adds roughly $3–10/unit CMT, requires shaping expertise, and must be blocked correctly after assembly.

HS code 6110 — jerseys, pullovers, sweatshirts, waistcoats, and similar articles of knit or crocheted fabric. Same as the crewneck sweater. The open front does not change the classification.

A cardigan typically retails at 10–20% above an equivalent crewneck sweater, reflecting the added button band construction and button material. At luxury tier, the premium can be larger because hand-worked buttonholes and high-quality buttons are visible value signals.