Some products show up everywhere — subway ads, Instagram, celeb endorsements. With this series, we're testing such products to conclude one thing: Does it live up to the hype?
What’s everyone talking about?
NAADAM's bestselling sweater, The Essential, has become a cult-favorite closet staple for its low price and high quality. Made from ultra soft and sustainable 100% cashmere, this sweater keeps shoppers warm in style at $75, which is much cheaper than other cashmere options.
What’s the buzz about?
We all love the plush, cloud-like feel of a warm cashmere sweater, but we don't love the $100-plus price tag. That's where The Essential sweater from NAADAM comes in: It's a lightweight, breathable, and affordable cashmere option that will keep you cozy without emptying your bank account. On top of its reasonable price, it also comes in a large array of colors, and its inclusive size range runs from XXS-XXL.
Where’s all the hype coming from?
- Over 50 thousand 5-star reviews from shoppers
- Rave reviews from Travel+Leisure, CNN, The Daily Beast, PureWow, and more
- Their attention-grabbing advertisements all over New York City subways
So does it live up to the hype?
How’d we come to this conclusion?
Nothing feels more luxurious than wrapping yourself in soft, cozy cashmere — and that feeling is mainly due to its steep price tag. Cashmere is known for its buttery-soft feel, but it's also notoriously pricey — a sweater made out of this luxury material can usually set you back a couple of hundred dollars, mainly due to how it's harvested.
But, fret not, my fellow bargain fashionistas: Thanks to the sustainable cashmere brand NAADAM, you can have the cashmere sweater of your dreams without going totally broke. Their Essential $75 Sweater is beloved by thousands of shoppers worldwide — over 50 thousand of them gave the sweater 5-star reviews — for its velvety feel and relatively affordable price tag.
NAADAM first caught my attention through their odd, yet intriguingly vague, subway advertisements across New York City. For years the brand's advertisements, which range from models dead-staring into your soul while cradling baby goats to adult goats mid-coitus, had piqued my interest and had me questioning what NAADAM actually was: Are they a goat-obsessed cult? A butcher that so happens to only sell goat meat?
After a quick Google search on a rather boring ride on the A train, I found out this is actually a fashion label — and a pretty impressive one at that. NAADAM’s focus is mainly providing high-quality, sustainable cashmere at a price that both you and their farmers can be happy about.
Though many of their selections reach the $200-plus range, their $75 sweater is inarguably their biggest best-seller. Yes, the under-$100 price tag is what grabs everyone's attention, but once you slip into this comfy sweater, you'll never know how you lived without investing in this affordable knitwear before.
Once I wore this sweater for the first time, I was amazed by just how buttery-soft, lightweight, and breathable it really is. It's light and airy enough to wear all day without insufferable pit stains popping up (which I'm terribly prone to), but still keeps me warm during chillier days. Though it's a little too lightweight for winter snowstorms, it's the perfect addition to your fall and spring wardrobe, and it's even light enough to layer without bunching up under your outerwear like chunkier sweaters.
Not only is it incredibly soft, but it’s also incredibly chic. This sweater comes in 14 different colors to choose from and has a classic crew-neck cut and a slightly cinched waist, which makes it ultra flattering on my shapeless torso. If you’re wondering about fit, it’s pretty true to size. I slipped into a size medium and it fits like a glove, but if you want a looser, oversized silhouette I’d recommend going a size up. I have one sweater in black at the moment, but I’ll definitely be stocking up on their spring closet-worthy pastel hues — and you should too before they notoriously sell out again.
So, how's NAADAM able to sell cashmere sweaters at such a low price, anyway? The brand states that they go straight to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, which produces the world's finest and most sought-after cashmere, and works directly with herders to give them and you prices that are fair.
My fellow animal lovers can feel good about wearing NAADAM's ethically harvested cashmere, too. The brand promotes ethical conditions for their Mongolian goats behind their plush cashmere and provides them with everything from veterinary care to professional hand-combing.
But those aren't the only ethical tactics under NAADAM's plush sleeves: They also give back to the Mongolian community through nonprofit work with the Gobi Revival Fund and they've set up a clean water source, a livestock insurance program, and a park for the local community to enjoy. You can learn more about their ethics and sustainability initiatives here.
What’s the bottom line?
If you love sustainable clothing and a great cashmere sweater at an even better price, then do yourself a favor and slip into this affordable sweater from NAADAM. It’s an ethical piece of clothing that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, plus it’s really cute and comes in different colors — what else could you ask for?
