The surprising history of the Fair Isle

sweater
By Leah Dolan, CNN
6 minute read
Published 5:18 AM EST, Wed December 27, 2023

A couple with a traditional Fair Isle pattern sweater on a board, Fair Isle, Shetland Islands, Scotland, June 1970.
Chris Morphet/Redferns/Getty Images
CNN —
Which fashion item is as beloved by members of the royal family as it is by JLo? Or
as relevant on the runways of 2023 as in the knitting catalogs of 1960? The answer
is surprisingly festive. The Fair Isle knit, a two-stranded knitting tradition originating
off the coast of Scotland, has been a wardrobe staple for well over 100 years —
keeping everyone from 18th century fisherman to Mick Jagger warm.

In the last five years, luxury brands Ralph Lauren, Thom Browne, Chanel, Celine,
Balenciaga, Raf Simons, Versace and Dries van Noten have all sent their version
of the heritage knit down the catwalk. London-based designer Molly Goddard has
even made the pattern something of an unofficial signature, making sure to pair a
structured Fair Isle-style knit with a flouncy, tulle skirt in almost every collection.
In short, it has become a winter classic that seems perpetually in vogue; for those
in the northern hemisphere, it’s appropriate to shrug on as soon as the nights draw
in right until sweater weather deteriorates. That being said, even in Los Angeles,
Hailey Bieber was spotted in a Khaite caramel and blue Fair Isle style knit cardigan
while grabbing coffee on December 19.

Hailey Bieber sported a Fair Isle-style knit while out in Los Angeles on December 19.
Lese/Backgrid
Taking its name from the island of Fair Isle — part of the Shetland archipelago
about 100 miles off the northeastern coast of Scotland — the knitting technique first
began in fisherman’s hats during the 18th and 19th century (our beloved sweaters
came much later). The two strand pattern was not only artistic, but made the tall,
conical shaped caps extra warm by doubling the textile mass. They often featured a
knitted interior lining, too.

The typical Fair Isle knit follows an ‘OXO’ pattern, where a geometric ‘O’ is followed
by an ‘X’ and repeated throughout the garment. Some knitters fill the ‘O’ shape with
symbols such as crosses, snowflakes, or a central dot called a “goose’s eye”. What
sets them apart from other fishing workwear is the vivid color palette. “They used
blue, red, yellow, a natural white and a natural brown, called Shetland black,” said
Dr Carol Christiansen, the curator and community museums officer at the Shetland
Textile Museum — who have a large collection of pieces dating as far back
as 1850. “The idea was that the skippers wore brighter colors so they were more
easily seen, either from the land or by other boats.”

But how did functional workwear become one of fashion’s most enduring designs?

Even A listers such as Jennifer Lopez, seen here with Ben Affleck leaving the Winter Garden Theatre in New York in 2022, are
fans of the Fair Isle style.
James Devaney/GC Images/Getty Images
“They started to become a tourist item,” said Dr. Christensen in a phone interview.
In the 19th century, fishermen from Norway and the Netherlands came to the area
to work and catch herring — a lucrative summer business — in Shetland’s waters.
The funny little colorful hats worn by the Fair Isle workers were seen as novel,
charming and the perfect souvenir for the visiting Dutch fishermen to bring home.
By 1870, Shetland had a regular boat and postal service, which boosted the scale
of trade and tourism. It soon became a holiday destination for keen huntsmen or
bird shooters who, just like the Dutch skippers, could take a piece of Fair Isle back
with them. As demand grew, so did the trade. Suddenly the pattern was available in
stockings, gloves, scarves and finally, pullovers.

A cozy history of the ugly Christmas sweater

The look shot to popularity in the 1920s, when a portrait of the then-Prince Edward
by Sir Henry Lander was painted in 1923 strengthened the design’s association
with sportsmanship. Rendered fresh off the golf course in a muted Fair Isle v-neck
and tartan flat cap, the British royal helped catapult the style into the mainstream. It
came just as womens’ styles were changing, too. Looser, more comfortable
garments were eclipsing the restrictive nature of corsets and petticoats thanks to
designers such as Paul Poiret and Gabrielle Chanel (the latter was a fan of Fair
Isle herself, photographed in a collared cardigan with the distinctive ‘OXO’ pattern
in 1910). Women were wearing similar cardigans, pullovers — often knitted by
themselves, if couture was out of reach — and pleated knee-length skirts.

Fair Isle quickly morphed into a symbol of family when in the 1940s and 50s it
became a lynchpin of women’s knitting pattern books. Mothers all over the UK
would not only knit themselves a piece, but their husband and, using the leftover
yarn, their children, too. Suddenly entire nuclear family units were dressed in
matching Fair Isle — making it a visual shorthand for ideas of tradition, convention
and wholesome living that modern designers still use to evoke nostalgia today.
Designer Molly Goddard regularly features a Fair Isle knit during her shows at London Fashion Week.
Giovanni Giannoni/WWD/Penske Media/Getty Images
“I think anything with a sense of place and time gives people a sense of belonging,”
said senior knitwear designer Emma Brooks for British label Toast in an interview
via Zoom. Fair Isle knits are a consistent pillar of the brand’s Fall-Winter
collections, who have a partnership with a specialist factory in Scotland (though not
in Shetland) and often work with local Scottish yarn spinners. “There’s something
about a knitted jumper and a motif around the yoke that is flattering. It’s a pop of
color without being too overwhelming, I think that taps into a lot of people’s way of
dressing.”

While the design has never been officially trademarked, there is a heritage quality
to a traditional Fair Isle that is hard to replicate — though it is often attempted. In
2015, Chanel revived their affiliation with the pattern in a Metier d’Arts collection in
Rome (a collection dedicated to celebrating the craftwork of their ateliers). The
knits ironically sparked controversy after independent Shetland label Mati Ventrillon
claimed Chanel copied her designs after the fashion house visited her studio as
research. Chanel apologized and credited Ventrillon in subsequent marketing
language promoting the show.
It became a family friendly design. Children would wear smaller Fair Isle pieces that matched their mother and father, often
knitted from left over yarn.
Bert Hardy/Picture Post/Getty Images
Brooks is keenly aware of the cultural sensitivity of the craft, and even visited Dr.
Christiansen at the Shetland Textile Museum in 2019 to look for design inspiration
for Toast’s next collection, made with Shetland yarn. “It’s important to be sensitive
to the fact that certain motifs are very traditional from a particular regional area,”
said Brooks. “What surprised me about the (Shetland Textile archive) was the
breadth in terms of color palettes. I think because of what you see in historical
books of Fair Isle, I was expecting more muted colors. But there was a real
expanse, and a sense of designs changing over time and (knitters mixing) tradition
with a completely different style.”
How this surprising Christmas film became a fashion favorite

Today, Dr. Christiansen believes trademarking the craft of Fair Isle is almost
impossible. “There have been attempts, but it’s difficult since we never got as far as
place designation,” she said. There’s also issues of cattle breeding, which means
not all Fair Isle knits created on Shetland are made with wool from Shetland sheep.
“It gets really complicated,” she said. “It’s a pity because now it’s probably too late.
Fair Isle is being churned out all over the world.”

“That’s just how it is, it’s global fashion.”