Recycled Waffle Cardigan

A cardigan knitted in waffle, a deep raised grid that catches the light and gives the surface real texture, so it has something going on even in a single colour. The stitch has weight to it and a bit of spring in the hand, and it's cut with room through the body, with a shawl collar that stands up when the top button is closed and falls into a soft lapel when it's open.

It's made from a blend of 40% Better Cotton Initiative cotton and 60% recycled content: offcuts from weaving and knitting mills, post-consumer clothing and recycled plastic bottles, spun back into yarn rather than thrown out. It's knitted in small batches in a family-owned factory in Tuscany.

The button-up placket and the zip beneath it, set against the waffle texture, are what give this one its character. A zip runs the full length of the front, with a flat knitted placket buttoning over the top of it in dark matt buttons, so there's a clean straight line running through all that texture. Zip it and button it for the closed-up version, or leave both open and let the collar fall. Two pockets are set in at the hip, and ribbing runs at the cuffs, the hem and up the front edges, so the knit holds its line rather than dropping with wear.

Wear it over a black tee with dark trousers and boots, or over a white tee with straight jeans and trainers for something easier. Buttoned up over a shirt with chinos and derbies, it does the job of a light jacket. It's a piece with enough substance to work as your outer layer, so it can carry the outfit on its own.