A blast from the past: Has hand-me-down culture and second-hand shopping brought back maximalist knitwear to our wardrobes?

From vintage store racks to cosy runway collections, everybody seems to be wearing their boldest and busiest knitwear pieces this Autumn/ Winter season. We clear up what’s behind this new pre-loved trend.

“Steal his sweater season” has taken on a whole new meaning this year. No longer just a Gen Z TikTok reference about claiming your boyfriend’s sweater in winter but rather one about getting your hands on your grandpa’s 1980s sweater or one that looks like it could have belonged to him. Embodying eclecticism is in, with imagery and patterns, textures and colours all being incorporated into knitwear pieces such as sweaters, cardigans, gloves and various other garments and accessories.

Maximalist knitwear featured in many collections for Autumn/ Winter 2024 season. During Fashion week In February and March of 2024, Paco Rabanne A/W 24 Womenswear collection and White Mountaineering A/W 24 Menswear collection showcased vibrant Nordic Jacquard patterns, animal imagery and argyle patterns, reminiscent of classic 1980s ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ type knitwear. From actress Alyssa Milano to the then Lady Diana Spencer, maximalist knitwear infiltrated the wardrobes of all in the 1980s.

Georgina Hills, ex- head buyer at Saint Laurent says Gen Z shoppers are suckers for nostalgia, particularly for the 1980s. But today’s youth take their style with a dash of ethics: “Vintage fashion has become a key influence on contemporary design, with consumers increasingly valuing sustainability and individuality”.

Emily Ravanona, a London College of Fashion student studying on the MA Fashion Futures course is one such Gen Zer. She said she was thrilled to discover, a charming shop in Ireland where she bought her hand knitted gloves, now statement pieces of her winter wardrobe. She said she “keeps an eye out of different and sustainable pieces that will last a lifetime.”

And when it comes to knitwear, it’s the high octane, moneyed looks of their grandparents’ lifetimes that are setting the scene. Case in point: recent TV series Rivals, set in the 1980s, is all about the oversized blazers, block colours and of course maximalist knitwear.

Otis Oestreicher, a fan of the racy drama, who is a BA Knitwear student at Central Saint Martin’s said “ I’m obsessed with nostalgia right now and I feel knitwear goes along with that. I don't think the pieces in the show are actually trendy to me, I think it’s because they remind people of a certain time. That’s what’s trendy”.

And according to a 2024 report by WGSN Gen z’s shoppers are: “driven by a feeling of Nostalgia […] as a means to escape today’s harsh realities”. With this yearning for pieces that ooze the energy of another time, it comes a no surprise that maximalist knitwear has reared its head in 2024, a year of political tension, climate crisis and overall change as Gen Z may just want to go back to what could be considered a simpler time and more optimistic time without the takeover of social media and fast fashion.

With Gen Z’s need for nostalgia, maximalist knitwear fits the bill and is feeding through to the catwalks. Hills highlights how vintage inspired collections such as JW Anderson’s eclectic knitwear show, “how texture and pattern can blend nostalgia with innovation, creating pieces that are both distinctive and timeless”. A modern twist on a nostalgic style of knitwear.

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