The way a garment is made is that yarns, become fabrics, which are then cut and sewn into garments.
But, sweaters are special because they are made by going from yarn straight to the garment.
1. Hand knitting – made by hand using 2twoneedles and a ball of yarn.
2. Machine knitting – a computer program instructs a machine how to knit. The machine knits the entire sweater. This is much faster than hand knitting.
3. Hacci fabric—This is knit fabric that looks like a fluffy sweater, but it can be cut and sewn like a regualr garment.
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PROS
1. Artisanal – create a unique custom garment.
2. Low MOQs – starting at sometimes only 1 piece.
CONS
1. Slow production – that is often delayed.
2. Limited labor – few young people are interested in this type of work.
3. Expensive – all other manufacturing techniques are cheaper.
PROS
1. Set it and forget it – does not require many people to operate.
2. Good bulk prices – generally need an MOQ of at least 200.
CONS
1. Sampling is expensive – most of the product price comes from the development process of programming the computer.
2. Larger MOQ – brands need to commit to inventory, unlike hand knitting.
It can be argued that sweaters are more sustainable because they skip the fabric process and go straight to the garment.
This allows for a more transparent process because there are less steps in the supply chain to keep track of.
And, by skipping a step, the garment’s carbon footprint is reduced because fewer energy resources are needed.
The price of a sweater is largely determined by the type and amount of fibers used. To decrease price try…
1. Blended yarns – by adding cheaper materials into the fiber mix prices can be reduced.
2. Reducing garment weight – by decreasing the overall weight of the garment, prices will come down significantly.
If you want my list of sweater manufacturers, you'll need to read the article!
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