Crew Neck Cardigans Are Taking Menswear By Storm

Spurred on by a significant co-sign from Paul Mescal on the Gladiator II press tour, crew neck cardigans have become the breakout star of FW24/25. There's an element of success that can be chalked up to novelty, as the higher neckline and boxier silhouette have traditionally been more commonly seen in womenswear. Men's dressing has historically favored the v-neck or collared styles, so any new kid on the block who can offer something new in terms of styling opportunity and detail is often going to be welcomed by those who want to play with their style and bring in an occasionally experimental newness to their wardrobe.

Pair this novelty with the frequent outings of an equally novel stylish celebrity like Paul Mescal — who has been making significant waves within menswear for his recent fits — and you really have a one-two punch for a style like crew neck cardigans to be springboarded into the men's fashion zeitgeist and take an already popular (and increasingly so) category to new heights.

Mohair (and similar fibers like alpaca) have a natural fuzziness that makes a statement, whether patterned or plain. The long, silky wool of Angora goats has been used to make iconic cardigan styles throughout the 20th century, often seen on counter-culture figures like the punks of the 1970s and the Kurt Cobain-fronted grunge movement of the '90s. More often than not, your typical mohair cardigan is chunky, shaggy, and leans more oversized thanks to its association with the subcultures that favored older, intentionally ill-fitting vintage pieces.

These iconic styles have been reinterpreted by luxury labels in the decades since, and despite still retaining some of the hallmarks of their rebellious origins, you no longer have to rely on vintage styles to bring some of the counter-culture attitudes into your wardrobe.

Like a lot of mid-layers, cardigans often become the ideal vessel for bringing contrast into outfits — whether through texture, color, or pattern.

Subtle brand prints, heritage-inspired repeating graphics (think Fair Isle), or bold, bright injections of color have long been a staple of knitwear, and cardigans in particular, dating back almost as far as the style's inception.

With a button-up design, a cardigan’s pattern becomes versatile. It can either take center stage in your outfit or, when unbuttoned, allow the layer underneath to break up the pattern on your torso — shifting your look from a bold statement to a playful use of contrast.

When most of us think of this style of knit, the immediate image is often the classic v-neck cardigan. However, much like the rise of the crew neck, that shape is far from the only option. Polo collars — the kind most similar to a shirt collar — have also been seeing a resurgence in popularity, thanks to tastemaker brands like Our Legacy, Prada, Acne Studios, and Auralee, all of which have included them in recent collections. Unlike their trending collarless counterpart, this buttoned-up style has been a staple of menswear for a long time, often associated with the iconic British Mod movement and subculture of the 1960s.

Another icon of men's dressing, Steve McQueen often wore a shawl-collared cardigan. This style features a soft, rounded collar that brings additional structure and silhouette to an otherwise fairly simple item of clothing. More often than not associated with preppier, more traditional leaning aesthetics, the shawl collar cardigan has never really gone away thanks to its timeless, elegant shape.