Babaà Review: Ethical and Sustainable Knitwear
I’ve know about the Spanish knitwear brand babaà for awhile now. It has a cult following among the ethical fashion community but I only recently jumped on board the train. During babaà ‘s recent winter sale I picked up one of their famous cardigans so I thought I’d share more about the brand and my thoughts on the cardigan.
Babaà Review: Ethical and Sustainable Knitwear
About baba
Babaà was founded in 2012 by Marta Bahillo. All items are made in Spain using 100% natural materials. They have a close relationship with their factory in Spain and the artisans that make the clothes. What’s cool is that babaà goes into great detail on their website about their supply chain and the people that make their clothes. They even name the shepherds that take care of the sheep they use to make the yarn!
Babaà also uses sustainable practices when they make their pieces. The dyeing process for their knits involves 60% less water than the industry standard and no bleaching or toxic waste.
Cardigan No. 19 Review
I’ve heard a lot about their famous cardigan over the years so that was at the top of my wishlist to try. Luckily, there were a lot of options to choose from during the winter sale so I picked up the no. 19 Cardigan in Dark Mist.
Size, Fit, and Feel
All of their sweaters are One Size, which I really like. One of the things I hate doing is trying to figure out my size when I order from a new brand. Since the sweaters and cardigans are one size they are VERY oversized. But that just makes them extra cozy! Babaà does offer different styles that are more fitted if you are petite or don’t like the oversized look. You can buy the no. 19 Cardigan in a mini size for a more fitted look.
The no. 19 cardigan is made from 100% eco Spanish wool and features organic bone buttons with a light blue thread. It’s a very chunky knit made from un-dyed wool. You might even be able to see some straw pieces in the knit – it’s that natural!
This cardigan is definitely WARM. It’s also very itchy. It is made from wool afterall. But this wool will soften overtime once you “break it in”. This is a knit that’s supposed to be in your closet for a long time and only get better with wear if you care for it properly. I also decided to go with a cardigan style so that the wool wouldn’t be around my neck and I could wear a turtleneck underneath to help with the itch. I’m happy to report that with the light cardigan underneath I didn’t feel itchy at all!
Price and Shipping
These sweaters are an investment. The no. 19 cardigan retails for around $276. Since I got mine during the sale I paid $234. So, it’s still a huge investment. But I’ll literally have this sweater for the rest of my life so I think it’s justified. Shipping is really fast even though it ships from Spain. My order arrived in about 4 days!
Since this is such a niche brand, there’s high demand for resales, which means if you ever get tired of your babaà you’ll most likely be able to resell it for a good price. Similarly, babaà pieces hold up nicely so buying secondhand is a great idea. Check out @noihsaf.bazaar on Instagram for ethical fashion resale!
Check out my blog post: How to Afford Ethical Fashion – if you are wanting to transition into buying from more ethical brands like babaà!
Final Thoughts
I love my cardigan and I can’t wait to wear it in really cold weather. Since I live in California I don’t get to wear my sweaters often. I’m going to wait to see how the wool softens before I order another babaà (I also need to save up for it and wait for another sale!). I have my eye on their no. 17 turtleneck sweater!
