The best men's cashmere sweaters are a lot like that guy Bryce from high school. Remember him? The one who was valedictorian and the star quarterback and the lead in the musical, and still always really nice to you. Hell, he probably also volunteered on weekends. Well, the best men's cashmere sweaters are the Bryce of autumnal staples.
Cashmere is the strongest and warmest and softest and swankiest form of wool there is, and it’s here to take your dreary cold weather wardrobe to bold new heights of handsomeness and coziness. The very best cashmere sweaters instantly make whatever you happen to have on that day—a T-shirt and denim, say, or a button-down and blazer—look miles more considered, sophisticated, and polished.
Make sense? Good, because now comes the fun part: settling on the right cashmere sweater for you. Are you after a basic cashmere pullover? A svelte cashmere turtleneck, perhaps? How about a currently-trending cashmere cardigan? To help make that decision as simple and streamlined as possible, we found 14 of the very best men's cashmere sweaters on the planet—from the gigantic flexes worth dropping a paycheck on to the budget-friendly crewnecks you should cop in every color. You'll look even better than Bryce did the night he was crowned prom king. Take that, Bryce.
The Best Men's Cashmere Sweaters, According to GQ
Best Overall Cashmere Sweater: Banana Republic Cashmere Crew-Neck Sweater
In 2025, Banana Republic hawks no shortage of discreet office-ready staples, but tucked in amongst them is one of the best cashmere sweater propositions you'll find today. Essentially, this is the platonic ideal of an affordable cashmere sweater: Soft as anything, snug at the wrists and hem, and still roomy enough in the body and shoulders.
But the folks at Banana Republic didn't down tools once they'd nailed the fit and fabric. (And that's exactly why they've earned the top spot in our rankings.) Instead, they paid a ton of attention to their color choices, turning out a range of dignified, unexpected, and expensive-feeling shades, from the dusty blue above to a spotted brown, reddish pink, and classy ecru—alongside your typical black, gray, and navy. No wonder 205 happy customers took the time to give it a five-star online review.
| Colors | Ten handsome shades |
| Sizing | XS-XXL |
Best Budget Cashmere Sweater: Uniqlo Cashmere Crew Neck Sweater
After its supreme softness, cashmere’s best-known attribute is its high price. But thanks to the forces that be (globalization, capitalism, etc.) cashmere is shedding its high-falutin’ price tags. The quality of more affordable cashmere sweaters aren’t up to par with the truly nice stuff, of course, but some options are better than others.
For us, the best of the budget bunch is Uniqlo. For just a hundred bucks, you get a satisfyingly soft pure cashmere sweater in a classic, relaxed fit, available in an impressively wide range of colors. If you want an upgrade from merino wool without the massive price jump, Uniqlo’s your best bet. The style is timeless and the cashmere is softer than you’d expect for the pricepoint.
| Colors | A whopping 17 different options |
| Sizing | XS-3XL |
Best Cashmere V-Neck Sweater: Buck Mason California Cashmere V-Neck Sweater
A V-neck sweater has the uncanny ability to turn anyone into a ‘90s heartthrob, but only if it has the right fit. And a really good drape. And also a V-neck that’s not too deep nor too shallow. That’s usually one spinning plate too many for most brands, but Buck Mason is the Cirque du Soleil of knitwear and its California Cashmere V-Neck sweater is its harrowing act. The fabric is a 12-gauge jersey knit made from long-staple cashmere that has a pillowy hand and an elegant drape that, unlike many flimsy cashmere, has plenty of structure. The neck hits the bullseye and is deep enough for a tee to peak out, but not so deep to reveal the insane graphic on said tee. It hits that lower-middle tier price point oh so well and even out-classes higher-priced options.
| Colors | Navy, Brown, Oat |
| Sizing | XS-XXL |
Best Cashmere Cable-Knit Sweater: J.Crew Cashmere Cable-Knit Sweater
You don’t have to do much to a cashmere sweater for it to make a big impression. The fabric itself speaks volumes, so even the most basic of knitwear options can instantly make an outfit feel a bit luxer, more considered, and altogether elevated. (Just think about how put together guys like David Beckham and Daniel Day-Lewis look wearing plain ol' pullovers.)
At the same time, though, a little visual flourish never hurt anybody, which is why we love these cashmere crewneck sweaters from the new J.Crew. They still let the cashmere do the talking, but the classic cable knit gives it a bit of visual interest and keeps it from falling flat. The quality cashmere is more than solid for the price and looks great solo with jeans and sneakers, but cleans up real good with a button-up peaking out and a blazer over top.
| Colors | Six, including a bright red |
| Sizing | XS-XXL |
Best Cashmere Turtleneck Sweater: Inis Meáin Merino Wool and Cashmere-Blend Rollneck Sweater
Working on an Irish isle, Inis Meáin has woven traditional Aran craftsmanship with modern techniques for decades. But, crucially, it still only produces its knits in small batches—in this case, producing a snug but not constricting turtleneck from an Italian-milled merino wool and cashmere blend.
The trick to pulling off a turtleneck in the year of our lord 2025? Easy, says our colleague, GQ senior commerce editor Avidan Grossman: Make sure it’s hardier than a bowl of stew, and cut a little boxier than you’d expect. “There’s a reason guys like McQueen swore by heavy-duty fisherman sweaters exactly like this one,” he notes. “The high neck frames your face like a blue-chip masterpiece, and when the temperature hovers right around 60 degrees, it’s the only layer you need.”
| Colors | One |
| Sizing | S-XXL |
Best Cashmere Polo Sweater: The Elder Statesman Striped Cashmere Polo Shirt
We’ve said it time and time again: long-sleeve polos make you hot. In winter, the best polos are made from luscious cashmere, and while there are some excellent more affordable versions below, our favorite comes from The Elder Statesman.
Most cashmere stuff feels very East Coast prep—all straight-laced and solid-colored—which makes sense, because the East Coast is where it’s cold. Back in 2007, though, LA designer Greg Chait flipped that on its head: under the moniker The Elder Statesman, he started making cashmere blankets, then sweaters and ponchos and socks and stuffed animals, with a distinctly Californian vibe. The stuff is all tie-dyed and dip-dyed, sometimes emblazoned with palm trees or magic mushrooms or the checkerboard pattern on your trusty Vans. And while cashmere is fairly precious by nature, the fabric wizards at The Elder Statesman flip that proposition on its head. Instead of the usual subdued hues and ho-hum silhouettes, Chait and co. render their cult-favorite sweaters in every shade of the acid rainbow, imbuing the cozy-boy staple with a jolt of Justin-Bieber-exiting-Sushi-Park swagger.
| Colors | Just this (incredible) one |
| Sizing | XS-XL |
More Cashmere Sweaters We Love
Quince
Mongolian Cashmere Crewneck Sweater
Quince makes one of the best affordable cashmere sweaters on the market. It’s hard to disagree with the idea that a good piece of knitwear shouldn’t equate to a down payment on a home. It might not be as luxe as some of our other favorite options, but it’s still ultra soft, which means you can swaddle yourself comfortably without worrying about the damage this sweater has done to your bank account.
Ghiaia Cashmere
Cashmere Sweater
Ghiaia Cashmere’s has expanded over the last few years but the brands initial focus is quite literally in the name. If there’s one place you can turn to when you’re in search of beautiful cashmere knits, then it’s Ghiaia. It’s knitted in Italy, and it has raglan sleeves with subtle ribbing in the sleeves and neck.
What Is Cashmere?
Cashmere is a kind of wool that’s made from the undercoats of goats. While goat’s outercoats are thick and coarse to protect them from the harsher elements, the undercoat remains ultra soft and fine. The fibers are actually hollow which makes them great for insulation which is why cashmere is known for its super smooth hand and high warmth to weight ratio. What separates cashmere from other types of wool is its superior silky hand and fine fibers which can vary between 14 to 19 microns in thickness—thinner than even the finest sheep’s wool. For reference, human hairs are only as fine as about 50 microns.
What to Look for in a Great Cashmere Sweater
Here's the catch: high-quality cashmere will usually cost you a pretty penny. For the price, you should be getting a form of cashmere made from long staple fibers spun into multi-ply yarns and knit into a tightly-tensioned fabric. Those factors all contribute to cashmere's pedigreed reputation as a material that's much less prone to pilling and stretching than its woolier counterparts. (That reputation, rightful or not, also informs its notoriously high price tag.) Cashmere is graded by its thickness and staple length with Grade A being the highest quality, followed by grades B and C. The higher the grade, the softer the yarns, the warmer the fabric, the better the durability.
Over the last few years, demand for good quality affordable cashmere sweaters has transformed the erstwhile rich-guy signifier into a bona fide cold weather staple you don't have to drain a 401(k) to afford. With one small caveat: supply chain transparency is infamously hard to suss out in the fashion industry, but don't expect a $100 cashmere joint—no matter how tony its source of origin—to hold up as well as a $500 one.
How We Test and Review Products
Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.
Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.
How We Make These Picks
We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.
To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.
We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.
Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.
Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there's bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ's testing process here.)