Hanging in the center of designer Kota Gushiken’s showroom in Tokyo is a button-up shirt that, halfway down, becomes a knitted sweater. “Seven years ago, if I said knitwear, people would think it was just normal knit jumpers,” says Gushiken. “But over the past 10 seasons that I’ve been doing the brand, I think our clients are now recognizing that knitwear can be super free, and people realize, oh, there’s a knitwear universe.” “The value in knitwear is tangible, driven by hand-knitted construction, zero-waste engineering, and high-quality fabrications.” According to EDITED, full-price sellouts across sweaters and cardigans are up year-on-year for key luxury players: in 2026, knitwear sellouts increased 40% at Loro Piana and 23% at Brunello Cucinelli, while the knitwear category saw “strong gains” across houses including Dior and Gucci, while demand for premium yarns like cashmere has surged, now accounting for a third of knitwear sellouts across luxury retailers.