A short history of the Christmas jumper

Humble, woolly beginnings

Long before anyone stitched a reindeer onto one, the knitted jumper was working clothing. Fishing communities around the British Isles wore tightly knitted wool pullovers to keep out the wind and spray; the names “guernsey” and “jersey” still recall the Channel Islands where these garments were closely associated. Further north, Shetland knitters developed the colourful stranded patterns now known as Fair Isle, while Scandinavian knitters became famous for star, snowflake and reindeer motifs.

Those patterns are the true ancestors of today's Christmas jumper. Snowflakes, stars, zig-zag borders and little trees all come from a knitting language that was designed to be warm, practical and handsome, not festive at all.

From royal fashion to family gift

Fair Isle knitwear became fashionable in the 1920s, helped along by the Prince of Wales wearing it in public, and patterned knits never really went away after that. Through the middle of the twentieth century, winter-themed jumpers became a standard present, and many were hand-knitted by relatives. That is how the Christmas jumper picked up its reputation: lovingly made, generously sized and not always quite what the recipient would have chosen.

Television played its part too. Cosy knitwear became the uniform of the relaxed family entertainer, and a festive jumper on a Christmas special said “pull up a chair” in a way a suit never could.

The “naff” years

By the late twentieth century the Christmas jumper was widely seen as a bit embarrassing: the thing you wore once on Christmas Day to please whoever gave it to you. Film and TV leaned into the joke. One of the best-remembered examples is the reindeer jumper worn by Mark Darcy on his first appearance in Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), a scene that used the jumper as shorthand for “hopelessly uncool”.

Ugly becomes brilliant

Then something changed. In the 2000s, “ugly Christmas sweater” parties caught on in North America, with guests competing to wear the most outrageous knit they could find in a charity shop. The joke spread, manufacturers noticed, and by the 2010s shops on both sides of the Atlantic were selling jumpers designed to be ridiculous on purpose: puns, pop culture, flashing lights, bells and 3D pompom noses.

In the UK the revival got a big boost from charity. Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day, launched in 2012, turned wearing a festive jumper to school or work into something you did for a good cause, and made it normal for whole offices to turn up in tinsel.

The Christmas jumper today

Today there is a jumper for every sense of humour. You can still buy a beautiful Nordic knit that will last for years, but you can also pick a printed sweatshirt that makes you look like Santa's torso, a matching set for the whole family, or a jumper that lights up your corner of the pub. The best part of the tradition hasn't changed: it is a garment designed to make people smile.

Want to start your own chapter of the story? Browse classic knits or go all-in with light-up jumpers.