Sweaters that put a spin on destination dressing

Destination dressing is getting a new spin this season as designers weave landscapes into the fabric of their collections, paying tribute to places they have loved – or yearning for those they haven’t visited yet.

It’s in knitwear that the globe-hopping homage has really taken off. Acne plays with reverse-stitch techniques and mouliné colour effects to create moving clouds, shadows and perspective in landscapes on knitted vests and long-sleeved sweaters. 

“Our name is Hawaiian for ‘large path,’” explains Alanui creative director Carlotta Oddi. She co-founded the Italian knitwear brand with her brother Nicolò in 2016, starting out with oversized, colourful cardigans designed for travel. “We try to visit different places with each collection, even if in an imaginary way,” she says. 

This season, with islands like the Maldives in mind, they have conjured “a place of tranquillity, and the positive energy that comes from a day by the beach” with sunsets, swaying palms and roaring surf on sweaters and their signature belted styles. When the days shorten, they’ll be pivoting to the polar regions. “It’s quite a journey, but I like that,” says Oddi. “It’s a nomadic mindset in your wardrobe.”

Provenance and place are always at the heart of Gabriela Hearst’s vision. Within a resort collection that references sacred ruins, Inca geometry and ancient community crafts, she has designed four intarsia sweaters with picture-perfect snapshots of Machu Picchu, Teotihuacan, Yellowstone and Aspen. “Growing up in South America, I was brought up with the concept that an America that is united would be the ideal to aspire to,” she explains. 

Rejina Pyo also has spring styles to transport her home to Seoul – and away. “I wanted this collection to celebrate the joie de vivre you experience when you travel to a place for the first time,” she says. “The New York-print Sadie vest is an intarsia replica of a photograph I took on holiday in my 20s.”

Finally, for a trip with a difference, House of Sunny’s playful new Hypnotise jumper conjures “the landscape of your wildest dreams” via a psychedelic patchwork of embroidery and appliqué in vegan yarns. It’s one of the braver takes – but it certainly gets you “out there”.