Cashmere for Women: Comparative Uniqlo, Monoprix, Eric Bompard, Galeries Lafayette, Kujten, Caroll

Being cold and not supporting too heavy clothes, it’s natural that my attention is focused on cashmere sweaters.

Why did I buy so many?

• because I gave / offered
• i didn’t buy them all at once, but over several years
• i confess that I am not someone who takes care of his business. I consider objects to be just objects and I prefer to spend my time taking care of myself and my loved ones rather than hand washing a sweater. That’s why I have “killed” a number of sweaters and telephones

I buy all my sweaters during the sales, otherwise it’s much too expensive.

Eric Bompard cashmere sweater

It’s my first cashmere sweater and I admit I was influenced by advertising. I found (with great difficulty) a sweater still on sale in my size (XS), incredibly soft. If I remember correctly, I paid 80€ for a V-neck sweater.

As you can see on the picture, the sweater has shrunk and I find myself curled up in this sweater which was, at the base, my size. I machine wash it, program wool with other white clothes, and air dry it. And I already have two holes on this sweater, I don’t know when they appeared because it was at the back of the sweater.

I treat him as badly as the others, but he’s the only one with holes. On the pilling side, it’s the one that does the least, the softness disappears after the first washings, but this sweater remains very warm and soft enough to be pleasant to wear.

P/s: I know I should have been more careful with the washing, but I hate hand washing. I will feel like a slave to an object if I have to pamper it more than my cat 😀

Composition : 70% cashmere, 30% silkI
will buy it back : no, not even in sales

Uniqlo cashmere sweater

After Eric Bompard’s sweater shrunk, I understood the lesson and since then, I only buy sweaters in size S (one size up)

My 2nd sweater, I bought it on sale at Uniqlo, for 40€. Size S seems a bit big. This sweater isn’t as soft as Eric Bompard’s one, but it’s warm and the sleeves are a bit longer too. I’m putting an illustration picture because I couldn’t find any pictures of me wearing it 🙁

If it was up to me, I would have kept it longer, but because of the extreme temperature changes between travel destinations, I gave it away and gave it to my mother.

This one is even more badly treated than the others: mixed washing program, 30°C (washed with other white clothes). 0 holes to report, very discreet pilling. In terms of quality/price ratio, I think this is one of the best sweaters I bought.

However, it is the least hot. I don’t know if it’s related to the weaving, or the quality of the wool.

Composition : 100% cashmereIs it worth
buying it : yes but only on sale

Monoprix Sweater

This sweater, I bought it on sale, about 60€, in blue. Because of its color, it is often washed with other dark clothes and is very, very mistreated (sometimes it is washed at the same time as the jeans). Also, I’m putting an illustration picture because I don’t have a picture of me with this sweater

I must say that the touch is very soft but the weave is very different from the others. You can’t see the stitches clearly.

For this sweater, the pebbles are really impressive, I feel like I have a cloud of pebbles instead of a sweater. I sincerely think that it’s (1) linked to the weaving (2) I’m really mistreating it too much.

In spite of that, it keeps its shape perfectly well, does not shrink, does not get bigger, keeps super hot. Only the touch changes.

Speaking of heat, it’s even too hot for me, or not breathable enough… I don’t know if it’s because of its weave, but when I sweat, there is 0 breathability unlike other sweaters. I have to take it off (at the risk of being cold), otherwise I will sweat a lot and get sick. Great the choice it offers: get sick, or get sick.

I think that with this brand, the vest version would have suited me much better. I also offered it because it took up too much space in my suitcase and I was not going to cold countries for a long time. In any case, it saved me during our stay in South Africa, where it was 2 degrees and we had to stay outside for hours.

Composition : 100% cashmereWill
I buy it back : no

By the way, I bought a cashmere scarf at Monoprix for JB and here is the condition of this scarf after several years & intensive washing (& air drying). Very correct and still very very warm. You can see that you can’t see the stitch, it’s the same as the sweater.

Cashmere sweater Galeries Lafayette

What I like about Galeries Lafayette is that at the end of the sales, the whole store becomes super accessible and I have a better chance of finding something in my size.

Not very soft to the touch, this sweater costs in the 70€ (sold out). There are several very nice colors, and the price is soft. You don’t have to fight to find your size during the sales (because people come to Galeries Lafayette to buy other brands, not the one from Galeries Lafayette).

This sweater is of the same quality & resistance as the Uniqlo one, but with a little more warmth. The touch is a bit unpleasant (it itchy and looks like a merino sweater), but the touch doesn’t change with each wash, neither does the shape.

Composition : 100% cashmereIs it worth
buying it : yes but only on sale
.

Caroll Cashmere Sweater

Bought in sales in the 60€, its touch is as soft as Eric Bompard’s. Visually it’s too pretty and there are more choices of cuts than at Uniqlo or Monoprix. The colors are less flashy and more classy.

It’s the first time that a piece of clothing makes me want to take such good care of it and spend some time washing it by hand, instead of throwing it in the washing machine. There is a little bit of pilling but the nice weave gives a “fluffy” side to the sweater, it’s very nice. I really like the boat collar too. And the length of the sweater is just perfect for little girls like me.

As far as heat is concerned, this is exactly what I need.

Unfortunately, after only one wash (by hand, warm water with flat drying), it stretched to death and the 3/4 sleeves became long sleeves. WTF! Let’s just say I feel betrayed. For once, I’m making an effort to wash and the result is worse.

Once again, apart from this point, it perfectly meets my demands for warmth, soft touch and featherweight.

Composition : 100% cashmereWill
I buy it back : no

It is a brand recommended by my colleague. I first bought them for my parents, what do they like about this brand. The origin of the wool is much more transparent than the brands listed below: directly from Mongolia, the country of cashmere. And the weaving is 2 threads (the more threads, the warmer it is). Finally, we have 4 threads too, but I chose 2 threads because it’s lighter, while being warm.

My mother likes turtleneck sweaters. And what I like about KUJTEN is that they only have this as a product, there was so much to choose from in terms of model, color, and number of threads. I bought these sweaters in full pot so they cost about 95€ per sweater. This is the most recent purchase among all the sweaters listed here (2020)

The touch is really satisfying. It’s not as soft as Caroll, the mesh is bigger and more visible, but not rough like the Galeries Lafayette. I would say that the touch is equivalent to Bompard‘s.

Then the sweaters are packed in its own cotton pouch, which serves as a washing bag. That’s what’s cool! They are made to be washed in the washing machine. Hallelujah! No more hand washing, we don’t have to be slaves to our clothes anymore. On the other hand, the wool program with soft spin is always recommended + flat drying on a towel.

My parents love this brand! When I will see them again in a few months, I will take pictures of the sweaters after 1 year of use to complete this comparison.
As for me, I found a second hand Kujten sweater for 7€ on Vinted. The lady who sold it to me may not have had any idea of its value (or she just wanted to get rid of it). The sweater was like new, even after machine washing, wool program. I took size 1 and I usually do XS.
Update December 2020 : I discovered a hole after several months of use . I don’t know if the hole was there from the beginning or not. So I bought another one, new this time, I’ll have to come back here in a few months to get my verdict.

Composition: 100% cashmere.
Will I buy back : don’t know yet, you have to wait a few more months..

Conclusion

My favorites :

• Galeries Lafayette
• Kujten
• Uniqlo

Is it worth buying a cashmere sweater for the world tour?

No, it’s not warm enough, breathable enough to be worn as a 2nd layer. It doesn’t dry quickly and requires too much maintenance. A fleece, although synthetic and taking up more space, will be more efficient and multi-tasking during the round-the-world tour.

Moreover, it is delicate to mix “backpacker clothing” and “cashmere sweater”. During our trip to Iceland, if I had a cashmere sweater, I think that the numerous frictions with my technical coat would have mistreated the sweater, created pilling, even holes. Whereas with my 15€ fleece at Uniqlo, I had less scruples and was more focused on my hike and my trip.

However, I recommend the vest in cashmere to digital nomads, to have a more urban look, while having something light and warm. You will find it for example at Peter Hahn ‘s in the 80€ range