It’s Time To Start Sweater Shopping — Let Fall’s Knitwear Trends Guide You

If you’ve grown weary of summer’s heat waves and ever-constant perspiration, get excited: Sweater weather is around the corner. You’ll soon be wearing that nubby, cable-knit jumper you love because it gives off Chris Evans in Knives Out vibes or the decades-old crewneck that’s the Goldilocks piece of your wardrobe. (It’s not too tight, not too loose — it fits you juuust right.) However, given how exciting and innovative fall 2022’s knitwear trends are, you should consider adding a few new silhouettes to your lineup. A few of the styles and aesthetics slated to be popular will feel quite familiar (yes, crochet continues to be an industry-wide favorite), but others are refreshingly novel.

Remember the weird girl aesthetic? That quirky trend, which encourages individualism above all else, will bleed into autumn and beget unique approaches to knitwear. Allow Terrie Isaac, head of creative for Trendhub, a fashion consultancy agency BDA London division, to explain: “Knitwear in fall 2022 will take on a more expressive overall look and feel as personal style becomes more central, with a ‘no rules’ approach forming.” Things you can expect to see? “Plays on proportions, distressing, body-contouring seams, and cutouts continuing to emphasize and, in some cases, distort the body,” she spells out to TZR over email.

Vika Masalova, founder of the budding, one-year-old brand V4K, knows a thing or two about one-of-a-kind knitwear. The Moscow-based label offers delicate and ultra-distressed pieces, all of which are hand-knit by Masalova herself — a process she admits to being “very long and meticulous.” She explains more over email: “I started to knit because of these holes I saw in my head, and I knew only I could help them come alive with V4K. [Distressing] might look careless to some, but, to me, it shows that the owner of the piece is an open and brave person who doesn’t care what other people think of them. And with V4K, I hope to inspire people to just be themselves!”

If you, however, would rather not dabble with out-there knitwear and prefer to stick to the classics, Isaac says there are plenty of timeless and classic styles, too. “The continuation of knitwear dressing in co-ords and dresses is still a key seasonal driver,” says the trend forecaster. Neutral hues, Isaac adds, are charted to be prevalent this autumn as well (which should come as good news for those who aren’t interested in any recent “ugly” color trends).

Below, you’ll find a more in-depth breakdown of fall 2022’s knitwear trends, more insight from the fashion insiders, and an edit to shop as well. Sweater season, here you come.

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Craftcore Prevails!

“We can already see new versions of crochet emerging,” explains Isaac. Lindsey Smecker, Principal at ESP Trendlab, a New York City-based trend forecasting agency, concurs. “Expect to see hand-crafted crochet looks with upcycled yarns and patchwork elements, coming from a ‘craftivism’ macro theme. Crochet is also great for accessories like handbags and hats,” she says, imploring you to “check out @ultraviolhat, as seen on influencers like Matilda Djerf.”

But the trend doesn’t begin and end with crochet. “Fall 2022 will also see a shift to even more creative and artisan-inspired knitwear, with lace stitches, open work, intarsia, and extremely textured yarns gaining momentum,” describes Isaac.

Avant Apocalypse

“There is a ‘dystopian’ theme coming through for fall/winter,” explains Isaac, referring to the ongoing Avant Apocalypse trend you may have originally heard about on TikTok earlier this year. “These pieces will include exposed raw edges, mottled finishes, and an overall distressed look in earthy neutrals, inky darks, and black.” Masalova’s work perfectly encapsulates this end-of-the-world aesthetic with her choice of dusty color palettes and exaggerated distressing that makes each piece look like it’s just barely survived battle.

Despite the admittedly idiosyncratic nature of the trend, both Isaac and Masalova cite it as surprisingly wearable. “I love how distressed knitted pieces can work with basic clothes, or something elegant. It’s always about the owner,” the V4K founder says, imploring you to style dystopian-esque pieces up to your discretion. Isaac adds, too, that layering is a key technique when playing around with apocalyptic knitwear. “Layerable open-weave dresses will be key styling pieces as layering uptrends. We also see the continuing importance of cropped and short styles worn over longer-line wovens,” says the trend forecaster.

Sultry Sweaters

For the uninitiated: You’re living in a new era of sexy dressing. Fashion in 2022 has taken a rather titillating turn — think revealing cutouts, formfitting silhouettes, and details that accentuate the female form à la designer Karoline Vitto’s work. And Smecker says this sultry theme includes knitwear, and she encourages you to look for “head-to-toe knits with bodycon fits and maxi dresses in classic neutrals” that possess a sensual feel. “An evolution from the corset trend is the bra cup sweater silhouette,” she explains of how she predicts the forever favorite of romantics to manifest in colder-weather seasons.

Extra Fuzz

Smecker shouts out “novelty knitwear in brushed yarns and mohair” as another fall trend that emphasizes a unique look. In addition, she cites “textures ideal for cocooning pieces” and fuzzy styles that manifest in “abstract prints,” too. Experimental knitwear brand AGR, for one, has become a cult-fave amongst indie label hounds for its brushed technique that yields an effect akin to static electricity.

A Little Pizzazz Never Hurt

Smecker says you’ll see a “return of glamour with embellished knitwear with sequins, pearls, crystals, or feather details.” And she expects the theme of zhuzhed-up knits to extend to your at-home cozy clothes, too, in a trend she dubs “elevated loungewear.” Look for easy joggers and tops that boast “added subtle metallics in mini sequins or lurex.”

Conversation-Starting Colors

“We have seen a shift from primary bright dopamine dressing across knitwear to a more fluorescent, neon-based palette with colorful leopard and zebra patterning,” Isaac shares. Smecker adds, though, that saturated hues continue to trend and you should expect to see “bold, statement stripes” and “abstract prints” — the It girl-beloved knitwear brand Hope Macaulay is a prime source to turn to for both.