When did Christmas jumpers become a thing?
Oh the 1980’s! So much to answer for…
What began innocently as cold weather wear for Scandinavians, skiers and for Fisherman has somehow developed into ironic christmas wear and latterly fashionable wear.
For so many people Christmas isn’t Christmas without a statement jumper and the marketplace is awash with them.
Traditional patterns, wools and knit that were often used to distinguish the area a jumper was handmade in, think Aran, Shetland and Fair Isle are stylish and popular; all of them have, with the advent of modern fabrics and production, morphed into… almost anything you can imagine.
By all means go mad with your jumper, funky with the design, loud with the colour.
Christmas Jumper Parties are the order of the day.
There is a Christmas Jumper Day! The 7th of December and it raises money for charity so we celebrate it for its sartorial largesse. It has raised over £35 million since 2012!
It’s likely that by now your Christmas jumper has seen the office party off and is slinking off to a dark place to reappear next year. Grab it before it goes and have some more fun.
Get creative with photo or video and make that jumper work for its keep! Dad won’t feel so awkward when he unwraps a new one on Christmas morning now.
In truth you don’t need to make it a jumper video but have a bit of fun creating something memorable to look back on and to have a giggle with friends and family.
For more traditional sartorial jumper elegance
For a more restrained, more traditional and for classically stylish wear, here are some links to steer your wardrobe additions:
- Paul James – The History of the Fisherman’s Jumper
- Anderson & Co The Shetland Warehouse
- Visit Iceland – How to find an original Lopapeysa
- Shackleton – The Hero Sweater
- Fjallraven -Sweden
- Devold of Norway
- Aran Wool Mills
Other jumper news:
Save the Children – Christmas Jumper Day
Cosmopolitan – Christmas jumpers 2023: the best festive knitwear to shop
BBC – The rise of ironic Christmas jumpers
Christmas jumpers: from naff knit to essential kit
Remember: this challenge is to ‘Have a funny Christmas photo shoot’ (You’re excused if jumpers don’t appear in it!)
Do let us know how you get on, share with us on social media (you’ll find links on the right hand side of this page or at the bottom on mobile). We’d love to hear from you, to see some pictures and by all means share ideas for next year. We already have a growing list we couldn’t fit into this challenge.
Please continue to follow our Advent Challenge here
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