Men's Knitwear: Cotton Jumpers, Knit Polos & Care
Men's Knitwear: Cotton Jumpers, Knit Polos & Care
British design drawn in London, knitted in pure cotton by Sri Lankan craftspeople since 1997.
Shop the collectionKnitwear is where this house shows its hand. Legacy London (formerly LCY London) has been knitting in pure cotton since 1997 — British design drawn in London, made by Sri Lankan craftspeople who have spent decades at the machine and the linking table. Everything that follows on this page exists to help you navigate that work: where to shop men's cotton knitwear, how to understand what you are paying for, how to care for it, and how to wear it without saying a word.
ConstructionWhat knitwear actually is
A short definition before anything else, because the word gets used loosely. Knitwear is not a style; it is a construction. A woven shirt is cut from flat cloth and sewn. A knitted garment is built from a single continuous yarn, looped row by row, which is why a good jumper moves with you, recovers its shape, and drapes rather than creases. When the panels are knitted to their final shape — each piece shaped on the machine rather than cut from a larger blank — the trade calls it fully fashioned knitwear. You can recognise it by the subtle fashioning marks along the shoulder and armhole seams, where stitches were moved rather than scissored. It takes longer and wastes less, and it is the standard we hold our knits to.
Most luxury knitwear conversations begin and end with wool and cashmere. Ours begins with cotton, and that is a deliberate choice rather than a compromise. We design for the life our customers actually lead — London in spring, Colombo year-round, the Riviera in summer — and pure cotton is the fibre that works across all of it: breathable in heat, comfortable against bare skin, machine-knittable to a fine, dense handle, and honest to care for. A pure cotton jumper will not pill the way cheap blends do, and it will not ask for the dry cleaner. It simply asks to be treated properly, which we cover further down.
CollectionsShop knitwear
Four places to start, depending on what you are looking for. Every piece in these collections is knitted, not cut-and-sewn, in pure cotton.
GuidesUnderstand the knit
Luxury knitwear in the UK market runs from honest to theatrical, and price is not always the tell. The guides below are the long-form version of what our store staff in Colombo explain across the counter every day: what knit construction actually changes, why a knitted collar behaves differently to a sewn one, and what pure cotton does that blends cannot.
CareCare for it
How to wash knitwear is the question we are asked more than any other, and the answer is reassuringly simple: cold and gentle, never hot and never hung. Heat and agitation are what shrink and distort knits — not washing itself. Wash cool on a gentle cycle or by hand, press the water out rather than wringing, and dry flat so the garment's own weight cannot pull it out of shape. Fold knitwear on a shelf; a hanger will put peaks in the shoulders of even the best jumper. Treated this way, a well-made cotton knit improves with age — the handle softens while the shape holds. That longevity is the entire point of slow fashion: the most sustainable garment is the one you are still wearing in ten years.
Care & Maintenance of Knits →StyleWear it quietly
Quiet luxury knitwear is almost a tautology. Knitwear is the category where restraint reads loudest: no logo does the talking, so the collar roll, the evenness of the stitches, and the way the fabric falls do it instead. A navy knitted polo or a well-cut cotton crew neck signals more in a room than any monogram — to the people whose noticing matters, and to no one else. The pieces below make the case at length, then show you how to put it to work.
The JournalWear it quietly
CraftThe hands behind the knit
Every knitted piece we sell is made in Sri Lanka, an island with one of the most sophisticated garment industries in the world and a depth of knitting skill that rarely gets named on the label. Our makers shape panels, link collars, and finish seams by hand at the linking machine — work measured in years of practice, not minutes of machine time. The design happens in London; the craft happens in Colombo; the garment carries both. You can see the range in person at our stores in Havelock City Mall and One Galle Face in Colombo, where the right answer to "is this worth it" has always been to put the collar between your fingers and decide for yourself.
QuestionsKnitwear questions, answered
How should I wash cotton knitwear?
Cold and gentle. Machine wash cool on a delicate cycle or hand wash, avoid the tumble dryer entirely, and dry flat rather than on a hanger so the knit cannot stretch under its own wet weight. Heat and agitation cause shrinkage and distortion — not water. Our knit care page covers the full ritual, including storage and de-pilling.
What is fully fashioned knitwear?
Knitwear whose panels are knitted to their final shape on the machine, then linked together — rather than cut from a larger piece of knitted fabric and overlocked. You can spot it by the fashioning marks along shoulder and armhole seams. It drapes better, lasts longer, and wastes less yarn, which is why it remains the benchmark for well-made knits.
What is the difference between a knit polo and a regular polo shirt?
A regular polo is cut and sewn from piqué or jersey fabric; a knit polo is constructed like fine knitwear, with the collar knitted as part of the garment rather than stitched on. The result is a softer drape, a collar that rolls instead of curling, and a polo that reads closer to a fine jumper than to sportswear. The full comparison is in Why Knit Polos?
Why cotton knitwear rather than wool?
Cotton breathes, sits comfortably against bare skin, and works in warm climates where wool cannot — which matters when your wardrobe has to cover a London spring and a Colombo afternoon alike. Pure cotton is also straightforward to care for at home. We knit exclusively in pure cotton for these reasons; the case is made in full in our Pure Cotton Collection pages.
Where is Legacy London knitwear made?
Designed in Britain, made in Sri Lanka — and that pairing is the brand, not a footnote. We have worked with Sri Lankan craftsmanship since 1997, and our knitwear can be seen and handled in person at our Colombo stores in Havelock City Mall and One Galle Face.
Knitted in pure cotton, by hands that have done it since 1997
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