A Letter From Eleanor · Co-founder of Merlow London
Merlow London · October 2026
Every Autumn, Women Tell Me They Miss Knitwear With a Bit of Character. These Are the Vintage Knits I Chose to Bring It Back.
On the six things I insisted on when we chose our vintage knit sweaters, the pieces our customers love most, and why every one of them is £39.95 during our anniversary.
Amanda, the one people smile at in the queue.
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.
Do you remember the jumpers your mother or grandmother used to knit? Bright yokes, little patterns, colours that made you happy on a grey morning. Every autumn, women tell me they miss knitwear like that.
Because today, the knitwear made for women our age seems to fall into two piles. The first is plain and sensible: grey, beige or navy, perfectly fine and completely forgettable. The second is the novelty jumper, fun for one afternoon and then pushed to the back of the wardrobe. I never accepted that a woman had to choose between dull and silly.
Our vintage knit sweaters are my answer: soft, relaxed knits with real character, the kind that feel familiar the moment you put them on. When Sophie and I were choosing them, 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.
1 A motif that makes people smile.
Amanda is where it started, and still the one our customers love most. A soft green knit with a little flock of fluffy sheep across the front, one black sheep among them. It is playful without being silly, and it never fails to start a conversation.
"The little sheep on my Amanda make me smile every time I put it on. I've had so many lovely comments, especially about the one black sheep."
2 Colour that lifts a grey morning.
Brenda is a riot of fine stripes in every colour you can think of, and Amy brings the same joy in softer pinks, corals and greys. Put either one on with jeans, and a dull day suddenly feels a little brighter.
Brenda, every colour you can think of.
Amy, the softer side of colour.
"I bought the Brenda for its beautiful colours, then went back for the Amy. They both brighten up a simple pair of jeans and are such cheerful jumpers to wear."
3 A print that looks like a painting.
Grace is covered in a painterly meadow of wildflowers, in yellows, pinks, purples and greens. It is the sweater that makes people ask where you found it, and it goes beautifully with denim.
Grace, a whole meadow of wildflowers.
"The flowers on my Grace are even prettier in person. It feels like wearing a little piece of the countryside, and I always get compliments when I wear it."
4 Classic Fair Isle, the way it used to be.
A knitted yoke full of small flowers and patterns, sitting on a soft, plain body. Abigail in dark green and April in charcoal are the two our customers reach for most: timeless, warm and easy with everything.
Abigail, with a yoke full of little flowers.
April, the classic in charcoal.
"The Abigail reminds me of the lovely Fair Isle jumpers I wore years ago. I loved it so much that I ordered the April as well. Both look beautiful with jeans."
5 Colour-block with a nod to nature.
Ellen pairs a deep blue top with a bright yellow-green body, divided by a little line of knitted pine trees. Bold, cheerful and surprisingly easy to wear over a white tee and jeans.
Ellen, with a little forest across the chest.
"I wasn't sure about the colours on the Ellen at first, but they work so nicely together. The little trees across the front are such a lovely detail."
6 A relaxed fit, with sizes up to 5XL.
Every piece has a relaxed, easy shape, a round neck and ribbed cuffs and hem, so it sits neatly without clinging. Amanda, Brenda, Abigail and Ellen run all the way up to 5XL, at the same price as a small.
"I'm a 3XL and the Amanda fits so comfortably. There is plenty of room around my middle, but the ribbed hem helps it keep a lovely shape instead of hanging loosely."
Our vintage knits, against the jumpers you have been buying
You can find a jumper almost anywhere. I know, because I have tried a great many of them. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
- Plain grey, beige or navy
- Or a novelty jumper you wear once
- Nothing anyone ever notices
- Clings, or hangs like a sack
- Stops at XL
- Motifs, stripes, prints and Fair Isle yokes
- Playful, but easy to wear every day
- The jumper people ask you about
- A relaxed fit with ribbed cuffs and hem
- Sizes up to 5XL
I refuse to sell knitwear that asks a woman to choose between sensible and joyful. That is the whole reason this collection exists.
I started with the Amanda because I couldn't resist the little sheep, and it quickly became one of my favourite jumpers. Then I ordered the Brenda for its cheerful stripes and the Abigail for something a little more classic. They all have their own character, and each one is so easy to wear with jeans. I love having something different to reach for depending on my mood, and I've already got my eye on the Grace with its lovely flowers.
Why every vintage knit is £39.95 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 sweater in our vintage knit collection is £39.95. 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 sweaters come to £71.91 for both, and three come to £101.87.
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 sweater with character 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 missing all those autumns, and I hope one of these becomes the sweater that makes you smile every time you put it on. 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 🤎
Vintage Knit Sweaters
- Motifs, stripes, prints and Fair Isle yokes
- Relaxed fit, round neck, ribbed cuffs and hem
- Over 40 styles, sizes up to 5XL
- 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