A Letter From Eleanor · Co-founder of Merlow London
Merlow London · October 2026
Every Autumn, Women Tell Me Their Knitwear Is Either Scratchy, Clingy or Shapeless. Our Knitwear Collection Is the One I Chose So You Never Have to Settle.
On the six things I insisted on when we chose our knitwear, four of the most-loved pieces from our collection of over 20 styles, and why every piece is £34.95 during our anniversary.
Nancy, our striped collar cardigan, with a little silver.
I am Eleanor, and in 2011 my sister Sophie and I started Merlow London with one stubborn belief: no woman should ever have to choose between feeling comfortable and looking beautifully dressed.
Every autumn, when the knitwear comes out of the cupboard, I hear the same three complaints. It scratches. It clings to the middle. Or it is so shapeless that you feel you have given up.
Because the knitwear made for women our age seems to fall into two piles. The first is the fitted jumper that looks lovely on the hanger, then clings in all the wrong places and rides up the moment you sit down. The second is the big, baggy knit, soft enough, but so plain and shapeless that it makes you feel twice your size. I never accepted that a woman had to choose between clingy and frumpy.
A few of this autumn’s favourites, side by side.
Our knitwear collection is my answer. When Sophie and I were putting it together, I had a list, and I was not going to give up a single point of it. These are the six things I insisted on.
1Soft enough to wear all day.
No scratchy wool, no itchy collars. Every piece is chosen for a soft, cosy knit that feels lovely against the skin from the first cold morning until you are home again in the evening.
Soft from the very first wear.
"The knit on my Imogen is beautifully soft. It feels lovely against my skin and never scratchy."
2Shapes that skim, never cling.
Relaxed shapes that drape over the middle instead of grabbing it, and some, like Cecily, cut a little longer at the back, so you no longer need to tug at the hem the moment you sit down.
"The Cecily falls so nicely without clinging to my middle. Finally a jumper that feels comfortable and looks flattering."
3Details that make it look finished.
A striped collar, a contrasting button placket, a soft shawl collar or a row of chunky buttons. The small details that turn a jumper into something people ask you about.
Nancy’s striped collar and tortoiseshell buttons.
"The striped collar and little buttons on the Nancy make it look so smart. I've had lovely compliments on it."
4Colours that go with what you own.
Cream, beige, brown, dark green and many more, chosen to sit with the jeans, trousers and boots already in your wardrobe. Most pieces come in several colours, and most women do not stop at one.
"I bought the Nancy first, then went back for the Winifred. Both are so easy to wear with everything."
5Sizes up to 5XL.
This was the point I would not move on. A soft, beautiful knit should not stop at XL. Many of our pieces run all the way up to 5XL, at the same price as a small.
"I'm a 3XL and the Imogen drapes beautifully. Plenty of room around my tummy without making me look shapeless."
6Easy to wear, every single day.
Over jeans for the shops, with trousers for lunch out, layered over a shirt when the wind picks up. Pieces you can put on without thinking and still feel put together.
"I went one size up in the Winifred and it fits perfectly. Just the right amount of room without looking too big."
Our four bestsellers
If you are not sure where to start, start here. These are four of the most-loved pieces from our wider knitwear collection, which includes more than 20 styles.
I started with the Nancy cardigan and loved it so much I ordered the Imogen and Cecily too. Each one feels lovely to wear and they all have their own little details that make them special. I keep reaching for a different one depending on the day, and I've already got my eye on the Winifred.
Our knitwear, against the jumpers you have been buying
You can find an autumn jumper almost anywhere. I know, because I have tried a great many of them. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
- Scratchy against the skin
- Clings to the middle and rides up
- Or so baggy it looks like you gave up
- Plain grey, beige or navy
- Stops at XL
- A soft knit you can wear all day
- Relaxed shapes that skim, never cling
- Collars, buttons and details that finish it
- Easy autumn colours in every piece
- Sizes up to 5XL
I refuse to sell knitwear that asks a woman to choose between feeling cosy and looking like herself. That is the whole reason this collection exists.
Why all our knitwear is £34.95 right now
This year, Merlow London turns 15. Sophie and I talked for a long time about how to celebrate, and we kept coming back to the same answer: with the women who made these fifteen years possible.
So for our 15th Anniversary Sale, every piece in the knitwear collection is £34.95. And when you choose more than one piece, you save even more, taken off automatically at checkout: 10% extra on 2 pieces, 15% on 3, 20% on 4 and 25% on 5 or more. So two pieces come to £62.91 for both, and all four bestsellers come to £111.84.
The anniversary prices are only here for a limited time. When the celebration ends, so do they.
If fifteen years of Merlow London have taught me anything, it is that a woman who finds one knit she loves soon comes back for another. That is the quiet bet I am placing in writing you this letter.
I am genuinely proud of this collection. It is everything I was looking for all those autumns, and I hope one of these pieces becomes the first thing you reach for when the temperature drops. Delivery is free across the UK, and you have our 30-day money-back guarantee. If it does not make you feel wonderful, simply send it back.
With love,
Eleanor & Sophie 🤎
The Knitwear Collection
- Over 20 knitwear styles to choose from
- Soft, cosy knits you can wear all day
- Relaxed shapes that skim, never cling
- Free UK delivery & 30-day money-back guarantee
Choose more and save: 10% extra on 2 pieces, up to 25% on 5+.
See the whole collectionAbout the writer. Eleanor co-founded Merlow London with her sister Sophie in 2011. Fifteen years on, she still chooses every piece in the collection with one question in mind: would a woman feel both comfortable and beautifully dressed in it?
This is a personal letter from the founders of Merlow London. Anniversary prices are valid for a limited time and while stock lasts.
15th Anniversary Sale