Alanui Icon Jacquard Cardigan
Introducing Alanui’s Couchin Sweater, crafted by highly skilled artisans using luxurious, premium cashmere.
When I think of Couchin Sweaters, I recall the thick shawl-collar cardigans reminiscent of Canadian folk costumes that my friends wore during the 90s Americana boom. The colours were ivory and brown, with geometric patterns.
As I mentioned in my article on Boncoura’s fisherman’s sweater, while I do like thick knits, they inevitably let the wind through, making them difficult to wear in the depths of winter. This meant that, despite wanting to try a Couchin sweater, it was one I never quite got round to buying.
About five years ago, during a rare visit to Barneys with my wife, the staff member assigned to her suggested this Alanui cardigan. Its intriguing design and comfortable feel led me to purchase it – the Icon Jacquard Cardigan I’m introducing today.
Alanui is a relatively new Italian brand founded by a former Vogue staff member. It focuses on environmental issues while developing garments designed to be worn for a long time without being discarded. The theme is clothing that feels comfortable to wear while travelling, offering designs that are both excellent and exceptionally relaxed and comfortable to wear.
True to its theme of comfortable, long-lasting wear, the brand places considerable emphasis on materials and construction. While its mainstay is knitwear using premium cashmere, it also offers slightly oversized pieces.
They lavishly use cashmere yarn from Carriaggi, Italy’s premier cashmere spinning mill. Knits are crafted using jacquard weaving with several types of yarn, resulting in cashmere sweaters with highly intricate designs and colour schemes. A famous example is the Icon Jacquard Cardigan featured here – a jacquard-woven cowl neck sweater with fringe detailing.
The pattern I own is a cowichan sweater featuring a design reminiscent of a Native American rug mat, with a black base and stripes of blue, red, and yellow – a style rarely seen in recent collections.
Introduction.
Knitwear as outerwear
Personally, during winter, I inevitably end up choosing warm outerwear due to the lower temperatures in the early morning and late at night. Being rather lazy by nature, my clothing choices tend to jump straight from summer shorts and T-shirts to winter down jackets, skipping over the lighter outerwear suitable for early winter or early summer.
Though not mentioned in the article, what I often wear in early winter or early summer are zip-up hooded parkas or Patagonia’s R1 thin fleece. They’re easy to wash and manage, so I inevitably end up reaching for them.
My approach to buying clothes, when considered annually, was largely limited to two purchases: cool summer items and warm winter items, and that was about it. However, around thirty years ago, I started buying clothes at Barneys, where my wife often shopped. A Barneys staff member taught me that purchasing clothing four times a year – spring, summer, autumn, and winter – tailored to the temperature, and combining these pieces, leads to comfortable and seasonally appropriate dressing. This prompted me to buy lightweight outerwear for early spring and late autumn.
After taking care of my parents, my interest in fashion waned, so I reverted to my original approach of selecting summer and winter garments rather than the four-season approach taught at Barneys.
In recent years, my perspective on the clothes I wear has shifted, and I now enjoy fashion in the manner described in the articles on this site.
This preamble has become rather lengthy, but regarding knitwear, my long-held view was that it was something worn as an inner layer during winter. However, the cowichan sweater I’m introducing here is a knit designed to be worn as an outer layer.
Due to the nature of knitwear construction, it inevitably becomes chilly when windy in winter, making it difficult to wear on windy days. Yet, on calm days, it provides warmth and comfort even in winter, making it a valuable piece.
Icon Jacquard Cardigan
Alanui’s Icon Jacquard Cardigan features a jacquard weave inspired by the traditional Couchin sweater, showcasing various patterns. It boasts a shawl collar, pockets with edging, and fringe detailing. Designed for relaxed travel wear, it has a slightly oversized fit.
My Icon Jacquard Cardigan is 100% cashmere, though recent material research has led to the development of blends such as cashmere-silk-cotton tri-blends. While authentic cowichan sweaters tend to be quite heavy and stiff, the Icon Jacquard Cardigan, whilst resembling a cowichan, is remarkably light and soft, offering excellent comfort.
The one I’m wearing features a Native American rug-inspired pattern, rather than the geometric pattern typical of the current Icon Jacquard Cardigan’s classic Couchin design.
Cariaggi lanificio s.p.a.
Alanui’s cashmere utilises high-quality, colour-fast cashmere yarn from Italy’s Carriaggi. A defining characteristic of Carriaggi’s cashmere yarn is its twisted construction, which, despite being cashmere, offers greater durability compared to other cashmere yarns. This results in reduced pilling, a common weakness of cashmere.
It is said that Brunello Cucinelli’s cashmere knitwear, which I greatly respect, utilises this Carriaggi cashmere yarn. While other renowned brands are also reported to use Carriaggi yarn, high-end houses like Brunello Cucinelli do not officially disclose their materials. Consequently, the specific use of Carriaggi cashmere yarn is not widely recognised.
Brunello Cucinelli has deep ties with Carriaggi. It is well known that Brunello Cucinelli gained fame through its cashmere knitwear, which led to its current successful business expansion. It is also said that when Mr Brunello Cucinelli founded the company, he purchased cashmere yarn from Carriaggi, subsequently producing the highly regarded, premium-quality cashmere knitwear.
Brunello Cucinelli is also listed among the shareholders of Carriaggi, while Chanel is among the shareholders of other top fashion houses.
I own three Brunello Cucinelli cashmere knits and one cashmere-silk knit. I find they resist pilling remarkably well; even when wearing a car seatbelt, I notice little pilling on my shoulders or underarms. This is something I consistently appreciate as a hallmark of Brunello Cucinelli’s cashmere knitwear.
Alanui’s cashmere knitwear also exhibits similar resistance to pilling. Upon investigating the reason, I discovered they utilise cashmere yarn from the Carriaggi company, which explains the high quality and is entirely convincing.
I myself am not particularly knowledgeable about fashion, so I had no interest whatsoever in matters concerning materials or spinning. However, it is fascinating that there exists an excellent Italian spinning company specialising in cashmere, and that cashmere knitwear spun from their yarn is said to be more comfortable to wear, have better colour fastness, and be more durable than standard cashmere knitwear. When you actually wear products made from it, you can clearly feel the difference.
When one indulges in a hobby like dressing well, one’s interest extends beyond the product itself to its origins. Understanding the reasons behind its creation and quality craftsmanship fosters a deeper affection for the item.
I had already noticed the exceptional comfort and durability of Brunello Cucinelli knitwear and the Alanui knit featured in this article. Discovering that the reason lies in the cashmere yarn used makes perfect sense. I feel that the very essence of a brand name – that sense of reliability – naturally encompasses an unseen commitment to quality, something we don’t consciously think about in everyday life.
Combination
Alanui’s Icon Jacquard Cardigan is a cowichan sweater, and as it pairs well with denim in an Americana style, I’ve combined it with jeans.
Alanui’s suggestion is a relaxed style, so ideally it should be worn with slightly loose-fitting, faded denim that allows unrestricted movement. However, I’ve paired it with slim-fit denim from Visvim.
For reference, I’ve also compiled a styling example with 501XX jeans. The overall silhouette pairs exceptionally well with the 501XX’s wide cut. While this combination offers a more timeless and balanced look, my current preference leans towards a slightly slimmer bottom, hence the Visvim slim-fit jeans.
As it’s a cowl neck jumper, the neckline is open, so I often wear a scarf with it. Since the knit has a pattern, I pair it with a plain-coloured scarf. As it’s a very casual combination, I’ve chosen a cashmere knit scarf from Cruciani.
For the inner layer, in winter I wear a thin Brunello Cucinelli cashmere-silk crew neck, and in early spring I simply pair it with a T-shirt.
The Alanui Icon Jacquard Cardigan excels in its quality, offering a substantial cashmere knit with an open chest. This allows you to enjoy it well into early spring by simply changing the inner layer. Even with a classic style – a white T-shirt underneath, faded denim and trainers – you can achieve a relaxed yet sophisticated look.
Wearing example.
(1) Combined with Visvim’s slim-fit denim
This season, I’ve been wearing slimmer-fit denim and trousers more often than the traditional straight-leg Levi’s or Lee jeans. For this Aranui Icon Jacquard Cardigan, I’ve paired it with Visvim’s Slim Straight, which also has a slimmer silhouette.
As it’s still a bit chilly, I’m wearing a Brunello Cucinelli cashmere-silk crew neck underneath. Should I feel cold around the neck or chest, I’ll wrap a Cruciani cashmere knit scarf.
On my feet, I’m wearing White’s semi-dress shoes, which pair well with denim.
(2) Combined with Levi’s 501XX
Compared to Visvim’s slim silhouette, this is a more orthodox cut, but a slightly wider straight leg like the 501XX offers a more universal and balanced silhouette.
As it was cold on the day of the shoot, I paired it with a thin knit inner layer, but in early spring, pairing it with a white T-shirt or similar inner layer creates a more casual and relaxed style.
Detail
- Alanui Icon Jacquard Cardigan
- 2nd Model (1966-1972)
- Manufactured 1969
- Fabric: Cotton-polyester blend
- Aluminium zip
- Epaulettes present
- Cuff gussets present
- Size: Small-Short
Combination
- Denim: Visvim
- Denim: Levi’s 501XX (1954)
- Cashmere silk crew neck: Brunello Cucinelli
- Cashmere knit scarf: Cruciani
- Knit beanie: Brunello Cucinelli
- Boots: White’s Semi-Dress
- Belt: Real McCoy’s
In conclusion
Similar to Boncoura’s fisherman sweater, I introduced Alanui’s Icon Jacquard Cardigan, a thick knit worn as outerwear. Its appearance doesn’t suggest traditional cashmere knitwear, yet when worn, it proves to be high-quality cashmere, exceptionally comfortable, and stylish even when casually thrown on.
The patterns and motifs, while North American in design, are constructed by an Italian brand from an Italian perspective, making it a highly intriguing cardigan.
When I first saw Alanui knitwear at Barneys, my initial impression overlapped with that of Lucien Pellat-Finet. Much like Pellat-Finet, who weaves skulls and hemp motifs into traditional luxury cashmere knitwear, Alanui’s cashmere knitwear, inspired by Native American clothing motifs, was remarkably interesting, diverging significantly from the conventional image of cashmere knitwear.
When I previously purchased Lucien Pellat-Finet knitwear at Barneys, I was informed that the strong twist in the Scottish cashmere yarn allows for home washing. Pellat-Finet knitwear also exhibited remarkable durability, resisting pilling even when caught on car seatbelts.
Alanui’s knit, woven from Carriaggi’s high-quality cashmere yarn, is also highly resistant to pilling. Including its design and concept, it evokes for me the image of Perlafine from the 2010s. (Alanui recommends dry cleaning.)
Despite being knitwear, it functions superbly as outerwear, wearable from early winter through to early spring. While I wouldn’t do it myself being prone to overheating, draping it over faded cut-off denim on an early summer evening creates an outstanding look with a hint of surfer style. As the weather warms, I plan to showcase pairings with cut-off denim and T-shirts.
Shop
The Alanui Icon Jacquard Cardigan featured here was purchased at Barneys New York’s Yokohama store.
Whilst I haven’t visited recently, both my wife and I frequented the store extensively in the early 2000s, purchasing various items. Both the men’s and women’s departments assigned us dedicated stylists. Having shopped there for many years, they offered tailored suggestions based on our existing wardrobe and preferences, and we learned a great deal from Barneys. Just recalling brings to mind Carpe Diem, Carol Christian Poell, Lucien Pellat-Finet, LA-style denim, HTC, Burberry Prorsum (the original), Jil Sander (under her own name), Helmut Lang, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior Homme, and Saint Laurent under Tom Ford, amongst many others.
Though not clothing, I’ve used Aesop products like face creams, body creams, shampoos, and their room fragrances for over 20 years, having discovered them at Barneys.
Items purchased at Barneys during that era, including their design, were of such high quality that they became popular among juniors and friends, and I ended up passing on most of them. Their selection truly exceeded the typical scope of a select shop.
Fly shirts, Borrelli shirts, Kiton, Attolini, Belvest – these were all items I discovered at Barneys. My own interest in fashion waned in the 2010s, so I gradually stopped visiting, but for my wife, it remains a wonderful store she has patronised for over twenty years.
Having frequented the shop for many years and interacted with various staff members, I witnessed several changes in ownership and direction. This transformed it from the initially edgy, New York flagship-style store, leading to staff departures. The image of Barneys – that of a shop with a sharp edge yet staff who genuinely understood customers and offered excellent advice – has faded. Nevertheless, it remains a splendid shop.
Not just Barneys, but high-end clothing stores in general seem to be facing tougher business conditions compared to earlier times. I sincerely hope they persevere.
Recently, I made a sudden purchase of a different item after a long time. The staff’s service was as splendid as ever, and the joy of visiting the shop, selecting clothes, and making a purchase remains firmly intact.
The Ginza store has recently reopened after refurbishment, and the range of items on offer is comprehensive. The signature Barneys style, where you can complete your entire look, remains very much alive. Why not pop in with your wife on a day off?
※ In the late 2010s, Alanui items were available in Japan, including at Barneys. However, as of February 2026, there is no official Japanese distributor for Alanui, and the brand is no longer carried by select shops or similar retailers. To purchase Alanui items, you must do so via the brand’s official Italian website or international online retailers such as Farfetch.
Barneys New York Official Website
“Berneys New York” Global shipping is not supported. Come to the shop when you come to Japan.
