Meet Pittari: British Lambswool Knitwear, Made To Fit

A new name on the Maze menswear knitwear rail

There's a Japanese word, pittari, for something that fits just right: comfortable, close-fitting and, well, just right.

It's also the name of the latest knitwear label to arrive at Maze. Pittari is a small, family-run British brand making lambswool jumpers, polos and scarves designed for the simple business of getting worn. Soft enough to reach for, tough enough to come back for next winter, and classic enough that you don't have to worry about what's in fashion while you're wearing them.

In other words, we're rather taken with them.

Where The Name Comes From

Pittari was started in 2023 by Dean and Lisa Batty, who spent time in Japan and came back with an appreciation for the country's approach to design: useful things, thoughtfully made, with plenty of attention paid to the details that make them better to live with.

They wanted the name of their new knitwear label to reflect that. Pittari seemed to fit.

Fair enough. We'd have done the same.

They've Done This Before

Although Pittari itself is relatively new, Dean and Lisa are anything but new to clothing.

Lisa studied fashion before working as a freelance designer and pattern cutter in London. She went on to join Belstaff as a designer, eventually becoming senior designer in the mid-1980s, before moving into teaching fashion.

Dean has worked in clothing since he was young, including time with Fiorucci. Between them, their experience has also included work with names such as Nigel Cabourn, Shackleton, Sir Edmund Hillary and Full Count.

That's quite a list for a small knitwear label. And with Shackleton and Hillary among the names, it's fair to say that warmth and proper outdoor clothing have been on the agenda for a while.

The Wool Bit

The heart of the Pittari collection is Yorkshire lambswool, alongside other British and Irish yarns.

Lambswool is taken from a sheep's first shearing, which helps give it that particularly soft feel. But softness isn't the whole story. Good lambswool is warm, breathable and hard-wearing, which makes it particularly well suited to the sort of knitwear you want to wear regularly rather than save for best.

That's really the point of Pittari.

These are straightforward, useful pieces. A jumper you can throw on with jeans. A polo that works under a jacket. A scarf that lives by the door all winter.

The garments are finished by hand, allowing Pittari to keep a close eye on the construction and finishing of each piece. And wool has another advantage: it's a natural, renewable fibre that can biodegrade at the end of its useful life.

We're generally happier buying fewer things and wearing them more, so that suits us too.

What We've Chosen

We've kept the first Maze selection fairly simple: a handful of pieces that cover most of what you'd want from a good knitwear drawer.

• Usk 10g Lambswool Sweater (£125): probably the one you'll end up wearing most. A straightforward lambswool crew neck available in Navy, Charcoal, Rosemary, Poppy and Trombone.
• Seti Fishermans Sweater (£135): a chunkier, more traditional fisherman's style in Rowan, Monkey Puzzle, Willow and Aspen. Yes, they're all trees.
• Teme 7g Contrast Sweater (£132): the heavier option, and exclusive to Maze. Navy, contrast detailing and a 7-gauge knit make this the one to reach for when winter is taking things seriously.
• 10g Lambswool Polo (£130): a knitted polo in Navy or Cocoa. Wear it under a jacket when you want something a little smarter, or on its own when you don't.
• Lambswool Striped Scarf (£55): soft, warm and stripy. A good present, or a good excuse to buy yourself something. We won't tell anyone.
  

A Few Practical Things

You'll see numbers such as 7g and 10g in the names of the jumpers. The g stands for gauge, which tells you about the fineness of the knit. The lower the number, the heavier and chunkier the knit tends to be, so the 7g Teme has more heft than the 10g Usk.

In practical terms: choose the lighter 10g knits when you want something easy to layer, and the 7g when you're after a warmer, more substantial jumper.

As for looking after them, hand wash cool with a wool detergent and dry flat. Always check the care label first. It isn't glamorous, but neither is a shrunken jumper.

A Note On Fit

James is 6ft and usually a medium, and is wearing a size M here. The Usk has a slightly neater fit through the shoulders and chest, but is otherwise true to size. The Seti is more relaxed and true to size, with a generous amount of length.

Not sure about the size or want to feel the wool before committing? Come and try one on at the shop in Clifton. Or you can shop the Pittari collection online. Returns in the UK are free.

Why It Belongs Here

There are a few reasons Pittari makes sense at Maze.

For starters, Maze has been a family business since 1985, and Pittari is a family business too. There's something we like about that. The people behind the clothes aren't an anonymous name on a label; there's a genuine connection between the people making them and the things they're making.

Then there's the approach to clothing. Pittari isn't trying to reinvent the jumper. It is taking familiar pieces, good yarns and proper manufacturing and getting the details right.

That's much closer to how we like to buy clothes: things you can wear now, next winter and several years from now without them suddenly looking dated.

There's a Japanese thread running through Maze already, too, with Edwin, orSlow and Porter Yoshida & Co. Pittari feels like a natural addition.

Different brand, different background, but a similar appreciation for well-made things that are designed to be used.

And, of course, a good jumper that fits just right.

Quick Questions

What does Pittari mean?  Pittari is a Japanese word used for something that fits or matches just right. In the context of the brand, it reflects the idea of comfortable, close-fitting, well-considered clothing.

Lambswool or merino? Lambswool comes from a sheep's first shearing. It's known for being soft and warm while still being durable enough for regular wear.

What's the difference between lambswool and merino? They're not quite like-for-like terms. Lambswool refers to wool from a young sheep's first shearing, while Merino refers to wool from the Merino breed of sheep. Both can make excellent knitwear; the feel and characteristics depend on the particular yarn and how the garment is knitted.

What does 7g or 10g mean? It refers to the gauge of the knit. Generally, a lower gauge produces a heavier, chunkier knit, while a higher gauge produces a finer, lighter one.

Where can I buy Pittari in the UK?
You can shop the Pittari collection at at Maze online, or try the collection in our Bristol shop.

Shop the full Pittari collection →