One black · two necklines · #3b3132
Black Cashmere Sweaters for Men
Charcoal Black is a near-black, not a jet black. On a fine natural fibre that is the honest outcome, and naming it accurately is cheaper than the return. It is made on the crew neck and the V-neck at $155, in S–2XL.
Tiles open the full style page. There is no cart on this site — each style page links out to the live listing on the parent catalogue.
Where black actually exists
One black colourway across three sweaters. A dash means we do not make it, not that it has sold out.
| Colourway | Crew Neck | V-Neck | Quarter Zip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charcoal Black#3b3132 | YesPhotographed in this colour | YesPhotographed in this colour | — |
| Midnight#221b2c | Reads black in a dim room, but it is an aubergine — there is purple in it. Sold on the crew neck and the V-neck under its own name; not counted as a black and not counted as a navy. | ||
Charcoal Black on both necklines
Dark colourways are the hardest to photograph honestly — the surface of the knit disappears and everything looks flat. Both of these are shot from the Charcoal Black lot rather than digitally darkened from another colour.
Why cashmere black is rarely black
A Chyangra goat's undercoat comes off the animal in cream, grey and brown. Nothing in that pile is white. To reach a true jet black on a protein fibre that already has colour in it, you push the dye load until the fibre stiffens and loses some of the handle that made it worth buying. Most cashmere houses do not go that far, which is why so much "black" cashmere reads charcoal, dark chocolate or slate once you take it outside.
Ours is Charcoal Black, #3b3132. There is more red than blue in that value, so the cast is warm — closer to a very dark umber than to a very dark navy. Under a lamp it looks black. Beside a black wool suit in daylight it does not. We named it for the second condition, not the first.
How to wear it
- With mid-grey or charcoal flannel. The safest and the best. The warm cast in the sweater keeps it from looking like a uniform.
- With raw indigo denim and dark brown boots. Dark brown against a warm black is a deliberate pairing, not a clash. Black boots with it will expose the sweater as the softer black of the two.
- Under a tweed or grey jacket. Good. Under a navy jacket, no — black and navy at close range is the one combination that always looks accidental.
- V-neck with a white shirt and a black knit tie. The one place a near-black sweater beats a true black: the slight warmth stops the whole thing going funereal. Where the knot should sit relative to the point of the V is covered on Wearing a Sweater Under a Blazer (and Suit).
Who it suits
Black is a high-contrast colour and it does high-contrast people a favour: dark hair against pale or deep skin. If your hair is fair or grey and your colouring is soft, a black crew neck sits under your chin and drains the face, and there is no styling trick that fixes it. The Grey Cashmere Sweaters for Men do the same wardrobe job without that cost.
Living with a black sweater
Black is the least forgiving colour in a cashmere wardrobe and the most forgiving in a suitcase. It hides food, ink and rain. It shows lint, hair, dust and every pill.
Pilling is not worse on dark cashmere — it is more visible. A pill is a knot of short surface fibres, and those fibres take dye differently to the ones lying flat, so they catch the light pale against a dark ground. Comb them off with a cashmere comb. Never use a razor: a razor cuts the fibre rather than lifting it, and the cut ends work loose and pill again, faster. The full explanation is here.
| Colourway | Charcoal Black #3b3132 |
|---|---|
| Parent dye-lot code | Charcoal black-ch1-natural |
| On | Crew neck · V-neck |
| Price | $155 |
| Sizes | S · M · L · XL · 2XL |
| Composition | 100% Grade A Himalayan cashmere, 12–16 micron |
| Construction | Knitted in our Pokhara workshop |
| Dyed or natural | To be confirmed from the workshop |
This lot's code ends in -natural rather than -dye, which would make it a natural fleece shade and would explain the warm cast. We have asked Pokhara to confirm what the suffix means rather than publish an inference as a fact.
Full measurements, the specification and all fourteen colourways are on the style pages. Between sizes, take the larger — a crew neck that pulls at the neck opening never gets worn.
Black on a particular neckline, or another colour
The style pages carry the size chart, the specification and every colourway.
Men's Crew Neck Cashmere Sweater
Charcoal Black plus thirteen other colourways. The cleanest of the three under a jacket.
14 colours · $155 →Men's V-Neck Cashmere Sweater
The same black with a shirt collar breaking it at the throat — the version to wear with a tie.
13 colours · $155 →Men's Quarter Zip Cashmere Sweater
Not made in black — one muted grey-blue colourway only, and the warmest of the three at the throat.
Free size · $120 →Nearby colours
Grey and navy are the two shades men reach for when black turns out to be more severe than they wanted.
Every colourway on this site is knitted from the same fibre by the same workshop — Himalayan Cashmere Sweaters, Made in Pokhara.
Questions about the black
Is this a true jet black?
No. It is Charcoal Black, #3b3132 — a near-black with a warm brown-grey cast that shows in daylight and disappears under indoor light. If you need a sweater that matches black tailoring exactly, this is not it. If you want the black that most cashmere actually is, it is.
What is the difference between Charcoal Black and Midnight?
Midnight, #221b2c, is a near-black aubergine — there is purple in it. The parent catalogue codes it as a navy, which it is not. We list it on the product pages under its own name and we do not sell it as black or as navy, because a man who orders black and receives dark purple sends it back.
Does black cashmere show pilling more than other colours?
Yes, and lint, and dog hair. Pills are short pale fibres standing off the surface, so on a dark ground you see every one of them. The pilling is not worse on black; it is just visible. Comb it, never shave it.
Can I wear a black sweater under a navy jacket?
It is the one combination to avoid. Black and navy are close enough to look like a mistake and far enough apart to be obvious in daylight. Black under grey, brown or tweed is fine. Black under black is fine only if both pieces are genuinely the same black, which ours is not.
Does the quarter zip come in black?
No. The quarter zip is made in one colourway only, a muted grey-blue, listed on the grey hub. Black is available on the crew neck and the V-neck.