At Comme des Garçons, we value the combination of quality materials and heritage production standards from Japan in the everyday knitwear we offer. In the United States, our knitwear customers are design-minded. For them, fine-gauge knits are an important part of their wardrobe. Cardigans from Comme des Garçons Wool Cardigans are constructed from long-staple, raw Japanese wool, not a cheap, synthetic fiber. It is a Canadian wool, not a cheap, acrylic blend. Fabrics made from raw, unprocessed fibers, provide a smooth and elegant silhouette, and a warm and breathable drape, a wonderful layering piece for the other knitwear in your wardrobe.
Reducing wool knitwear: from fully contracting due to a thermal shock requires a gradual change in temperature. To avoid thermal shock, always submerse your knitwear in lukewarm or cool water mixed with a mild, pH-neutral wool soap.
scrubs and twists: Going against the grain of the wool scrubs and twists is the best way to avoid pilling. Gently washing knitwear inside out preserves the texture of the knit and prevents pilling.
Placket geometry: is best preserved when drying flat. Hang your knitwear and press out the rest of the liquid with a towel rolling method. Then, lay it flat to dry.
Laundering the Premium Japanese Wool: The Comme des Garçons Wool Cardigans Washing Guide
The first step to making sure our beautiful, delicate, raw wool fibers remain beautiful is skipping the abusive, mechanized laundering processes. Thanks to our manufacturing processes that avoid the application of heavy, toxic, chemical coatings, the unfinished fibers of our beautiful, delicate raw wool need gentle human care (rather than automated mechanical laundering).
Avoiding Mechanical Friction: Heavy, mechanical laundering processes eliminate the need for human care. The rapid spinning barrels of generally available washing machines cause wool fibers to be locked, which results in an immediate irreversible shrinkage of the fabric and severe surface pilling.
The Gentle Soak Method: In the presence of a gentle, enzyme free, pH neutral wool soap, dirt can naturally lift from the fabric without the need for rough wringing and twisting when the knit wear is submerged in cool or lukewarm water.
Maintaining Placket Integrity: The front button placket of the CDG cardigan should remain buttoned during the cleansing process in order to maintain the integrity of the woven band and prevent it from becoming warped or uneven.
The Cold-Water Handwash Protocol: Selecting pH-Neutral Wool Detergents and Mitigating Scale Interlocking for the CDG Cardigan
The Cold Water Handwash Method: In order to care for the cardigan, the pH standard has to be maintained at a neutral level and the binding of the tiny, interlocking scales of the wool fibers has to be prevented.
Eliminating Alkaline Damage: Standard household laundry detergents contain harsh, high pH alkaline substances. These break down the natural animal fibers. Keeping the wool soft and flexible requires a specialized pH neutral liquid soap.
Preventing Thermal Shock: Comme des Garçons Wool Cardigans fibers naturally locked in a felted texture can be the result of rapid changes in water temperature. Keeping the water at a consistent cool or lukewarm temperature can prevent rapid heat changes.
Gentle Habits of Submersion: Instead of twisting or wringing, press the water through the knit panels as you allow the garment to gently submerse in a clean basin.
Reducing Surface Friction: A Custom Solution for Removing Sweater Pilling, Loose Yarn Fuzz, and Placket Shape Distortion of the CDG Cardigan
Bypassing inexpensive, quick chemical coating treatments is the hallmark of our custom manufacturing. Your fine-gauge knit face will stay fancy if you reduce the everyday, more aggressive wear.
Fabric Abrasion Control: High friction contact with coarse underlayers, bag straps, and seat belts can cause surface pilling of fine, loose knit fuzz of the wool fibers.
Boundary Protection Tips for Button-Up Cardigans: To avoid warping, always keep the cardigan buttoned up to protect the closure band.
Safe Habits for Cardigan Maintenance: A good quality, fine-tooth wool comb or fabric shaver can remove loose fibers without pulling on and ruining the fabric weave.
Clear Surface Fuzz with a Fine-Tooth Wool Comb for a Clean Knit Finish
Our custom manufacturing process avoids heavy chemical treatments, allowing you to maintain your Comme des Garçons Wool Cardigans with gentle care to avoid normal wear on the fine knit fabric.
Dealing with Areas Near the Logo: When doing close proximity work to our signature Branded Apparel Logos, we recommend that you pull the fabric tight and push the Fabric Tool around the thick embroidered Borders so that the logos remain clean.
Bringing Back Fabric Finish: Lightly and frequently removing pills helps fibers that have been stuck to escape and helps the fabric weave return to tight and even, giving it a boutique like finish.
Mechanical Drying: Flat Drying with a Wet Block
This knitting process doesn’t employ a heavy anti-shrink chemical finish, meaning that in order to keep the design symmetrical after washing, proper Water-weight dispersion needs to take place:
Eliminating the use of Hangers: When wool is wet, it becomes very heavy, and the weight will pull the knit out of shape. Therefore, hanging a wet knit will warp the seams.
The Flat Towel Press: Damp knits are delicate and heavy. Rolling the damp knit in a clean, dry towel and pressed to remove excess water is the only safe way to remove moisture.
Geometric Wet Blocking: To Dry in the Original Design, Place Completely Flat on a Rack with even Smoothed Ribbed Hem and Button Placket, and All Buttons Engaged.
Towel-Rolling to Remove Extra Moisture Without Distortion of Ribbed Hems of Your CDG Cardigan Without Lifting
Moisture Removal: We craft our Comme des Garçons Wool Cardigans using an original knitting process designed to avoid toxic, heavy, chemical anti-shrinkage coatings. This allows us to maintain perfect symmetry after laundering, but requires us to perform a proper evacuation of the water-weight moisture:
Eliminating Clothes Hangers: In the case of a wet wool garment, hanging the garment will give it a permanently stretched, ruined shoulder seam, and an unacceptable torso drop.
The Flat Towel Press: Roll the damp garment up in a dry, clean towel, and gentle, downward pressure is applied, to avoid any and all twisting and wringing of the delicate yarn paths.
Agreed Blocking: With the sweater fully dry, stretched along the ribbed hem, and the button placket smoothed and lined up to maintain the original tailored block, the dry rack may be removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I machine wash my Comme des Garçons wool cardigan on a cold delicate cycle?
In a word: No. Even on a delicate cycle, the mechanical rotation and spinning of a washing machine causes friction that will lock the raw wool fibers together, resulting in a severely pilled and even shrunk garment. We highly recommend a cold hand wash using a gentle, pH-neutral, wool liquid soap with no enzymes to protect your investment.
Why does my Comme des Garçons Wool Cardigans feel slightly stiff or scratchy after it air-dries?
Cardigans should be made from materials that offer comfort and warmth. Our cardigans are made from the finest wool sourced from Japan. Since we use the least amount of wool processing chemicals possible, you may find that our cardigans feel slightly crisp after drying. This is completely normal. Just wear the cardigan. After a few hours, the wool will relax and restore it’s soft texture.
What is the best method to remove pilling and fuzz from a knitted wool cardigan without damaging the fabric?
When you wear a cardigan, the fabric may become fuzzed due to friction. To safely remove fuzz without harming the fabric, you should use a fabric shaver or wool comb. Glide the comb or shaver across the fuzz in a downward motion to remove it. Make sure you have laid out the cardigan completely flat and stretched the fabric taut. To avoid damaging the fabric, ensure you stay clear of any raised embroidery whilst you depill the cardigan.