Babaà jumper no17

45 Wears With Very Little Wear

Lin

from

Out Of The Bag

was one of my first subscribes on Substack because Lin makes me *think* about clothes. Lin’s Substack is full of first-hand advice about no-buys/low-buys (she inspired me to try it out last year) and her eye for appreciating vintage runway is something I admire deeply.

When I approached Lin about writing a review for One Star, she was game BUT wanted to make sure she really could speak to the quality/wear-ability of a product. Lin said, after 45 wears, she’s finally ready to give us the full scoop on her Babaà sweater!

no17 jumper

Let’s get one thing out of the way — if you like baby soft cashmere jumpers, this jumper is not for you. If you like slim-fitting, smooth-textured jumpers (think merino), this jumper is also not for you. 

But if you are into jumpers with a bit of texture, bold intense colours, and oversized styles (and aren’t wool sensitive), then maybe Babaà is for you. Their raw/minimally processed wool sweaters are actually quite cloud-like and soft in their own way, but they’re definitely scratchy at first, and I think that in itself makes the jumper a big no-no for some. 

I first heard of Babaà years ago through the influencers I followed — it’s a very Cup of Jo, “Brooklyn mum” vibe, beloved by the same people who bought Kamm pants and No 6 clogs. At the time I didn’t live in a temperate climate, so I didn’t need a wool jumper, but after I moved to Melbourne, I started thinking about buying one, and Babaà was one of the options I looked into. 

I did a lot of research, but ultimately I went with Babaà because I really love the rich, hyper-saturated colours they do so well, and their wide range of oversized styles, which have that cool, artsy vibe. I wasn’t looking for a minimalist, classic style — I wanted something that had some personality, and I think this is something that sets them apart.

It was also important to me that they pride themselves on being a relatively small brand that produces all their garments locally (in Spain). I’m not fond of the fashion industry generally and when I buy new, I prefer to support independent brands if I can. And it must be said that it was also the most practical and cost-effective option for me once you factor in shipping costs — they offer free shipping worldwide for orders over 100€, which is great for people living in Australia because shipping anything here is wildly expensive. 

The jumper I chose was the No 17, in a flaming red called Arce. It’s €285 and I had waited for the winter sale so it was 20% off, within the budget I had set for myself (under US$300).  

When it arrived, I was both thrilled and underwhelmed. I loved the colour, the style, and the texture of the soft-scratchy yarn (I am not sensitive to wool and I knew that good quality pure wool softens quickly with wear). 

But the knit was unexpectedly slack, and you can see how loose it is when you hold it up against a light. I had expected a denser knit so this felt a little disappointing. (Question for knitters: is this normal for this type of style? None of my jumpers are like this.)

Wearing it

Despite my initial misgivings, I actually enjoyed wearing it right away. It was perfect for chilly summer nights…it’s the type of jumper you would wear with shorts to a beach: cozy without being stifling. Once fall and winter set in, the colour was the perfect thing to brighten up my outfits—it made my most basic outfits seem interesting by virtue of the colour and the oversized turtleneck. 

Because the sleeves are enormous, you can’t wear most jackets over it, but I knew that when I bought it, and I didn’t mind it because I work from home and I don’t really wear jackets much. Moreover, Melbourne’s winters are short and mild (about 5-15 degrees C) so you can get away with jumper on most days. That said, the bulk makes it quite annoying if you decide to take it off and carry it around — it’s not going to sit neatly over your shoulders or fit easily into your bag. It’s not too bad to travel with though —you can fold it into half and pack it flat into your suitcase and it squishes down fine. 

Overall, it suits my style, and I’ve worn it 45 times since I bought it, which is pretty good for an item I received in January! 

Jumper when I first got it, in January

The warmth factor

I am a big fan of wool because the material is magically both warm and breathable — as someone who overheats easily, I love this temperature-regulating aspect of wool! I would say that 80% of the time, the Babaà jumper lives up to this. I could wear it throughout the day as the temperatures change and not feel like I needed to take it off, unless I step into overheated spaces.

The biggest drawback is the slackness of the knit, which means that it doesn’t keep the wind out. I wore long-sleeved wool tees under it when I needed the extra warmth, and this was fine for Melbourne or if you spend most of your time indoors. But it’s not adequate for anything colder than this and especially not for super windy days. 

I’ve gotten a lot of wear out of it so I’ve made my peace with it, but I probably won’t be buying a second Babaà jumper for this reason.

The itch factor

For many, the biggest con is probably the raw, minimally processed wool that Babaà uses. I had read tonnes of reviews mentioning how itchy their wool was, but I wasn’t terribly concerned as I am not wool sensitive. 

The jumper was a little scratchy when I first started wearing it but it softened very quickly after a few wears. It’ll never have the baby smoothness of cashmere or the fineness of merino, but it has that cloud-like lofty feeling and it really does feel like a “warm hug”, as described by Babaà. If you’re wool-sensitive, I would avoid Babaà wool pieces, but personally, I like the texture. 

Wash and care

I washed the jumper once after I received it, by giving it a swish in a tub with some wool soap, and then I put it in the washing machine on a gentle spin cycle, and dried it flat on a rack. Just doing that softened it significantly and it wasn’t worse for wear. 

Over winter, I brushed it once a week and I always air it overnight before putting it away between wears. I did wash it one more time using the wool cycle on my washing machine and air-dried it flat on a rack, and again it was fine. 

I like my knitwear to be tough and I don’t baby my jumpers — I always take a woollen jumper with me when I go camping, and the Babaà was perfectly fine for such trips. I’ve read some reviews about Babaà sweaters pilling heavily, but mine seems ok. It barely sheds, and the bobbles only became noticeable after about 30 wears, but I de-pilled it with a fabric shaver and it’s totally fine. All sweaters pill to some extent, but good ones pill at a decreasing rate, and so far that has been my experience with Babaà. ¹

after 45 wears and depilled once

45 wears later

Sizing 

Babaà is notoriously one-size only, and while they offer a wide range of styles that accommodate different body types, I do think they could improve on that front. That said, Babaà styles generally look like they might be a bit overwhelming if you are petite, so look at the photos and the model’s height carefully when you’re on the site. 

The No 17 is one of their biggest, baggiest styles, and it was just right on me (I am 5 '11 and I usually take a US8 in clothes, depending on the style).  

Would I buy it again?

This is a difficult question to answer! Like I said earlier, I love wearing mine but I also feel like it wasn’t quite perfect. I would have preferred a slightly denser knit so that it’s more windproof. I have another vintage woollen jumper that I bought this year and you can really tell the difference between the two — both are relatively chunky knits but the vintage one was done more tightly so it keeps the wind out superbly. 

If I get to 100 wears on this and it still looks good, I might consider it. 

Was it worth €285? Again, another hard question. Honestly, in that price range, there are jumpers of better quality, but Babaà stands out for me when it comes to delivering a certain style and vibe, and whether that’s worth paying for is really subjective.If you are looking for something more classic and neutral-toned, I would shop other brands (for example, Community Clothing does well-priced UK-made wool jumpers in lots of classic styles) but if you’re still keen on the bold colours and artsy feel that Babaà offers, then well, the heart wants what the heart wants. The jumper doesn’t look like anything else I own, and that makes it special for me.

Full disclosure, I bought the Babaà no14 during their summer sale because of Lin’s initial posts about the brand. I’ve only worn it once indoors so I can’t speak to my experience with it yet, but the brand offers a sale twice a year so if you are interested you could hold out for that!

L to R: Wrap London ($178) // Everlane ($168) // No. 6 ($420)

Links for alternative sweaters with a similar shape AND No17 jumpers on resale sites: see here.

1. This Cut article echos Lin’s sentiment