A History Of The Christmas Jumper, The Festive Season’s Must-Have Wardrobe Staple
By
11 hours ago
The original hit knit
With December in full swing, there isn’t a shop on the high street without a Christmas jumper (or two). And while we love cosying up in a chunky knit throughout the winter months, we can’t help but wonder: where did this festive tradition come from? Below, we run through a modern history of the Christmas jumper – and how to get involved with Christmas Jumper Day this year.
Find A Christmas Jumper For 2024 Here
Tracking The History Of The Christmas Jumper
Origins
While we might know them today as heavily decorated, brightly coloured (and, of course, festive) knitwear, Christmas jumpers originally had a much more minimalist style. The tradition itself originates from 19th century Scandinavia, when people in Norway, Sweden and Iceland would wear thick, warm, and patterned jumpers in the lead-up to winter.
Iceland (c) Unsplash
These first jumpers were hand-knitted by women in the local community, using sheep’s wool, and were used to distinguish fishermen from different communities. This explains why they varied so much in style; multiple patterns and colours were needed to differentiate people. These jumpers often featured traditional Nordic designs like snowflakes – in particular, the ‘selburose’ pattern – and other geometric designs.
Early Popularity
Fast forward a few decades, and the humble knit has reached international status – largely in thanks to ski culture. Skiing picked up in popularity following the 1918 influenza pandemic, which encouraged a boom in health and wellbeing. And with travellers once again hitting the slopes in Europe, there came the need for knitted layers.
This is when the ‘Christmas jumper’ as we know it came to be. Think colourful, chunky jumpers that could keep people warm against the elements (while still packing a punch in style). And with ski slopes giving the trend a glamorous backdrop, the festive jumper became a hit amongst the style set.
(c) Julia Larson, Pexels
Mainstream Popularity & Decline
By the time the 60s rolled around, knitwear was a festive mainstay. In the UK, they were known as ‘Jingle Bell Sweaters’ – and became the go-to choice for Christmas gifting.
But they proved especially popular across the pond. Hollywood stars such as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman made the skiing lifestyle popular, and by the 70s they had helped propel the Christmas jumper onto the runway and into high street shops.
Given the fashion industry’s seal of approval, Christmas jumpers became the hot thing to have each December. Support from UK personalities in the 1980s, such as TV presenters Gyles Brandreth and Timmy Mallett, also gave the trend a boost.
Bridget Jones’s Diary, Colin Firth as Mark Darcy © 2001 NBCUniversal, All Rights Reserved
However, the fun didn’t last. By the 90s, Christmas jumpers had fallen under the ‘gag gifts’ category of festive shopping. But while not considered high fashion anymore, they remained somewhat popular – just with a new angle. Rather than seek out a wearable winter knit, people would look out for the ugliest knitted designs they could find, with the goal of having the funniest-looking jumper that year. (Just think of Colin Firth’s reindeer jumper in Bridget Jones.)
The Revival: Christmas Jumper Day
And then we arrive at the here and now. We’ve slowly but steadily been leaning back into Christmas jumper fashion, repeating history with a revival of stylish knits celebrating festive season. And today, you’ll find a number of high profile brands and designers – Burberry, Bella Freud, Ralph Lauren and Moncler, to name a few – throwing their hat in the ring and offering their take on the traditional knit.
The trend has also inspired one the UK’s favourite festive events: Christmas Jumper Day. Set up by Save the Children in 2012, the annual charity event encourages people to wear their best Christmas jumper and raise fund to help vulnerable children all over the world.
View this post on Instagram
When Is Christmas Jumper Day?
This year, Christmas Jumper Day falls on Thursday 12 December in the UK. You can kit yourself out in one of these hit knits, and find out more about the celebration here.
Featured image: Boden
