LONDON: Christmas jumpers, once only thought stylish by knitting-needle wielding grannies, are enjoying a renaissance in Britain after being adopted as a festive fashion statement by young revellers.
Responding to soaring demand for the colourful and eccentric creations, vintage clothing group Beyond Retro has opened a temporary store selling only Christmas jumpers in London’s trendy Old Street.
“It isn’t just hipsters that are doing it now, it’s everybody, office workers to mums, dads, kids buying them for their whole family, everyone is getting involved and that’s what so exciting,” said Ashley Emerson, head of development at Beyond Retro.
Times have changed since the 2001 smash film Bridget Jones’s Diary, in which Colin Firth’s character Mark Darcy is made to look uncool by wearing a green woollen pullover decorated with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
“The novelty knit... has rocketed up the cool-o-meter this season,” said department store Debenhams, which has recorded a 200 percent increase in sales from last Christmas.
While bargain-hunters can still snap up cheap festive jumpers — 100 percent acrylic — high rollers can easily spend over £200 on Cashmere or alpaca garments.
Surfing the trend, British NGO “Save the Children” has since 2012 run a “Christmas Jumpers Day” on December 12, when those wearing seasonal knitwear are asked to donate a small sum for charity.
“Last year we were lucky enough to raise £1.5m with over a million people taking part,” said Tanya Steele, financial director at Save the Children.
“We’re hoping to double that this year. We already have well over a million people signed up.
“Christmas Jumpers have been part of the British psyche and part of Christmas for decades,” she said, putting their resurgence down to a combination of factors.
Their traditional style chimes with the rise of Scandinavian fashion and taste for vintage, the mass of Christmas parties gives socialites the chance to show off their purchases all through December and their unsophisticated designs appeal to Britain’s self-deprecating sense of humour.
AFP
