A Considered Edit: The Best Sustainable Knitwear Brands in Europe

Knitwear has been part of my wardrobe for as long as I can remember. Not as a trend, but as a constant. The kind of piece that crosses seasons, works from morning to evening, layers without bulk, and somehow always feels right – whether I’m walking through a city I don’t know yet or sitting in a restaurant I’ve been looking forward to for months.

Over time, I’ve become more deliberate about what I wear. Natural materials only – wool, mohair, merino, cashmere. Not as a rigid rule, but because nothing else feels quite the same against skin. Natural fibres breathe, regulate temperature, and develop character with wear. Synthetics don’t age that way.

I’m also aware of greenwashing. Sustainability in fashion is a word that has been stretched so far it can mean almost anything. So what I look for is specificity: named certifications, traceable supply chains, real transparency about where something is made and from what.

The brands below are the ones that have earned my attention – not because they are the loudest, but because they focus on materials, shape, and longevity. A small edit of European labels approaching knitwear with intention.

Artknit Studios – Italy

Based in Italy, Artknit Studios works directly with suppliers and manufacturers, publishing detailed information about where their yarns come from and how their pieces are made. Their knitwear has a clean, modern aesthetic – simplified silhouettes in quality natural fibres.
It’s a good example of how sustainability and a contemporary, minimal look can align without compromise.
artknit-studios.com

Babaà – Spain

Babaà is made in Spain from natural wool, with a visual identity that is immediately recognisable – textural, slightly raw, intentionally imperfect. Their knitwear has a tactile quality that photographs don’t fully capture; it reads differently in person.
The brand embraces what natural fibre actually looks and feels like, without smoothing it into something it isn’t.
babaa.es

Onika Knitwear – Austria

Onika Knitwear works at the intersection of rare natural materials and considered craft. Based in Salzburg, the label works with ICEA-certified grade A bouclé cashmere – one of the most refined and less commonly used yarns in contemporary knitwear – alongside RMS-certified kid mohair, RWS wool, and GOTS- and OEKO-TEX-certified fibres.
Each piece is produced in small batches using carefully selected natural materials, either handcrafted in the Salzburg atelier or developed in close collaboration with specialised artisan partners who share a commitment to precision and material integrity.
onika-knitwear.com

Waste Yarn Project – Norway

Waste Yarn Project is a Oslo-based studio creating one-of-one knitwear from high quality surplus yarn – pieces that are genuinely unrepeatable, designed through a system of chance rather than conventional pattern-making. Each garment is shaped by the yarn available rather than the other way around, which makes the circularity of the approach structural rather than incidental.
wasteyarnproject.com

Oubas – England

I have always had a particular affection for English wool – something in the character of it that feels genuinely different. Oubas is made in their own studio in Cumbria, England – a space that has been spinning wool since the 1930s. The brand works in natural fibres, sourcing from British, Irish, and Italian yarn mills, and produces using the traditional fully-fashioned method: each piece knitted to shape rather than cut from fabric, which means virtually no material waste.
oubasknitwear.co.uk

*All brands featured here work with natural fibres and maintain a considered level of transparency around production. Onika Knitwear is my own label and is included as part of this selection, as it aligns with the same values of material quality and thoughtful design.