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Italian knitwear production

Our knitwear essentials have been a long time in development.

Quality materials and European production have always been central to Anonymous, so introducing knitwear meant finding a production partner that shared the same principles. We found that near Lake Como in northern Italy, where a fourth-generation, family-run factoryhas been producing cashmere, silk and fine merino knitwear since 1921.

More than a century of knowledge sits behind the way each of our garments are made today. Specialised machinery is part of the process, but so are experienced hands, careful inspection and techniques that have been refined over generations.Before arriving at the final knitwear, we spent a long period developing and testing different fibres and blends. Softness was important, but it could not be the only consideration. We wanted the knitwear to feel good from the first wear while also having the strength and durability needed to become part of a wardrobe for years to come. The result is a blend of 30% Italian cashmere and 70% Italian extra-fine merino wool. Cashmere brings softness and warmth, while extrafine merino adds strength and durability without taking away from the softness we were looking for.

The cashmere itself comes from the soft undercoat a goat grows to protect itself through winter. In spring, this fibre is combed out by hand, then separated from the coarser outer hair and sorted according to length and fineness before it can be used in high-quality yarn.For our knitwear, the cashmere is blended with extra-fine merino wool before spinning. The two fibres are chosen for the different qualities they bring to the finished garment. Rather than pursuing softness alone, the aim was to create a knit that feels soft while also being made for continued wear.

The yarn is spun in Tuscany. Colour is introduced while the fibres are still loose, before they become finished yarn, so the dye is applied before the fibres are spun into thread. Once dyed, blended and spun, the yarn is wound onto cones and transported north to the production near Lake Como.

Every part is knitted individually on a flat-bed knitting machine. Rather than producing a large piece of knitted fabric and cutting the required shapes from it afterwards, each panel is knitted directly into its intended form. A sleeve narrows as it grows, a shoulder takes shape on the machine and a neckline is formed stitch by stitch.This method reduces the amount of material that would otherwise be cut away during construction. When a panel leaves the machine, temporary waste yarn holds its edges in place until it is ready for the next stage. At this point, a sweater is still a collection of separate knitted pieces.Before these pieces are assembled, every panel is inspected individually under a lamp.

The stitches and surface of the knit are examined closely by an experienced member of the team. If a stitch needs attention, it can be worked back into the knitted structure by hand with a needle before the garment moves on. The correction becomes part of the knit itself rather than sitting visibly on its surface. The separate panels are then joined through linking, one of the most precise stages of the process. Each loop along the edge of a knitted panel is placed by hand onto an individual point on the linking wheel before the seam can be closed.

A neckline alone can require hundreds of individual loops to be positioned.This careful alignment allows the seam to retain the flexibility of the knitted fabric around it, so it moves with the garment rather than pulling against it. It is a slow process, but an important part of how the knitwear is constructed.Once the panels have been joined, every garment is inspected again. The finished knitwear is checked for imperfections before being pressed into its final shape and labelled.The entire garment-making process takes place under one roof. Yarn arrives on cones and leaves as a finished piece, knitted, inspected, linked, pressed and labelled. Every stage remains in Italy.

For styles that use buttons, we work with a family button-maker in Italy who turns each button from natural horn. Horn is a naturally varied material, so no two buttons are identical. Its colour can move from pale amber to almost black, sometimes within a single piece, and the markings visible on the surface belong to the material itself. The horn is selected to complement the colour of each yarn while allowing its natural differences to remain. It is this variation that gives the buttons their character and is the reason we choose natural horn rather than plastic.

For us, Italian production is not simply about where the final garment is assembled. The yarn is spun in Tuscany, the knitwear is produced near Lake Como and the buttons are made by a family button-maker in Italy.

From fibre to finished garment, the process is built around specialised knowledge, quality materials and people who have spent generations learning how to work with them.