KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- NAADAM is a sustainable brand focused on cashmere goods, best known for its cashmere sweaters and investment in local Mongolian communities (where the cashmere is sourced). The team’s long-term goals include ensuring living wages across the supply chain, going carbon-neutral, and continuing to use high-quality materials.
- The brand’s sweaters are either made with 100% cashmere or cashmere blends supplemented by fabrics like wool. Given the high cost of sourcing and spinning cashmere, most of its sweaters are $200 or more—a worthwhile investment since cashmere is made to last.
- The designs and cuts are fashionable and easy to pull together into outfits, simultaneously offering warmth and effortless elegance. Sizing runs between XXS and 3X for women and XXS to XXL for men and is mostly true-to-size.
It’s no secret amongst The Good Trade team that I love cashmere. It’s endlessly soft and cozy, with a warmth unmatched by most other fabrics—something I highly value as an “always cold” girlie. Plus, cashmere just exudes effortless style and lasts forever.
NAADAM has long been on my list to try, given their best-selling cashmere pieces—particularly the Essential $75 Sweater that has won the hearts of more than 50,000 5-star reviewers. So when the brand offered my husband and me the chance to review a few of their sweaters for all genders, my interest was piqued.
If you’re unfamiliar, NAADAM’s mission is to source the world’s best cashmere from the Mongolian Gobi Desert. (Fun fact: Mongolian cashmere is one of the region’s largest exports, so it’s no surprise that NAADAM decided to partner with herders there.)
So, how does the brand even source its cashmere and make its pieces affordable? Having read sustainable fashion brands’ websites for the better part of a decade and knowing how prevalent “greenwashing” is right now, I was skeptical myself. But I decided to dive into the team’s Social and Environmental Impact Report, outlining its commitments and goals through 2025.
Across the brand’s goals for people, product, and planet, the team aims to ensure living wages across the entire supply chain, invest in Mongolia’s herder community, go carbon-neutral, and use traceable materials. NAADAM is also deeply involved in setting up ethical conditions for the animals involved in their raw materials, from hand-combing the goats and providing safe grazing spaces to offering veterinary care.
“Across the brand’s goals for people, product, and planet, the team aims to ensure living wages across the entire supply chain, invest in Mongolia’s herder community, go carbon-neutral, and use traceable materials.”
NAADAM is proud of its goals and work thus far, as they’re echoed not just in reports and on the website but even on the clothes’ packaging. The report also shares in-depth steps about the brand’s progress and what’s to come, though I hope to see a few more actionable items in future reports so consumers can see how these goals are being reached.
That said, when you consider the team’s accomplishments since setting the goals in 2019 (on the report pages 10-13), it’s refreshing to see the progress made in just a few years—a positive sign and hopefully an indicator of the brand’s future ethics and sustainability goals.
Now, let’s get to the clothes.
“The pieces arrived in a simple black bag instead of a bulky box, and each sweater was individually wrapped in recycled plastic packaging.”
After picking our pieces, the package arrived in about a week at our Bay Area address (shipped from its Rhode Island warehouse). Both my husband and I were impressed with the shipping materials—the pieces arrived in a simple black bag instead of a bulky box, and each sweater was individually wrapped in recycled plastic packaging. Best of all, the bags were resealable, so we could stow away the sweaters when we weren’t wearing them (and keep them moth- and pet-hair-free!).
First up, I tried the Luxe Merino Cashmere Balloon Sweater—an 82% Merino wool and 18% cashmere blend—in size Large (I’m 5’1” with wide hips and a 36DD chest). At $250, it’s not something I could ever afford on my own without some serious savings or a sitewide sale. At the same time, as the materials are high quality, I can understand the price point.
Right out of the bag, the sweater was velvety soft. After throwing it on, I was impressed again—balloon sleeves on a short person like me are usually a miss, but these were a near-perfect length. And the navy is dark, essentially just one shade away from black, so it matched my black pants but didn’t seem too monochrome either. And most importantly, I was incredibly warm but not sweltering hot. TL;DR? It checked all the boxes.
The one caveat I’d note for this sweater, in particular, is that it looks prime for pilling; the wool and cashmere blend is spun so that there are fuzzy fibers all over—though Naadam notes its sweaters should only pill once, a natural occurrence with cashmere. You can read more about what to expect from cashmere here, and then grab a cashmere comb.
Next was the Super Luxe Cashmere Fisherman V-Neck Sweater in White, size XL; I wanted an oversized look like the model imagery. Thanks to the more masculine cut (with the V-neck and ribbed fabric), it felt like I borrowed my husband’s most luxurious sweater. Wearing it as an off-shoulder sweater with a pair of dark pants felt appropriately cute and cozy, and though it’s slightly too big on me, I have a feeling it’ll become one of my favorites over time. At $350, this is also quite the splurge, but it’s made entirely of cashmere, so I could understand why it’d be an investment.
“They don’t require layers under them since they’re pretty warm and better suited for cooler temps.”
Both of the sweaters are easy enough to style, too. I’d pair the Balloon Sweater with black jeans, and the V-Neck Sweater would look tres chic with lighter wash jeans and boots. They also don’t require layers under them since they’re pretty warm and better suited for cooler temps—if you live in a warmer state like California (hi, hello, it’s me), you may end up schvitzing with sweat. I guess that’s why it’s called a sweater? 😅
As for my husband’s feedback? He sent me a very long text filled with praises for the two sweaters he tried as “both very light while still incredibly warm.”
The first sweater he tried was the Recycled Cashmere Henley ($225) in Heather Taupe, size L. For reference, my husband is 6’ and typically wears a Large in most brands. He shared that the sizing was perfect, even if you layered a tee underneath for added warmth, and that the buttons add a nice polish and elegance to the outfit. His only note was that the cuffs felt a little tight, which could be an issue if you wear a watch or fitness tracker, but “definitely not a dealbreaker.”
His other piece was the Recycled Cashmere Hoodie in Granite, size L, comprising 70% closed-loop recycled cashmere and 30% virgin cashmere. The irony was that he wished the cuffs were tighter (ha)—they felt slightly loose when rolling up his sleeves. As for the rest of the ‘fit, he said he felt warm and comfortable and that he “really liked the snug fit and the size of the hood, despite my larger-than-average head.” (His words, not mine…but it’s true. Sorry, I did promise to keep it real here after all.)
“Cashmere requires special care, given its silky soft texture and one-time natural pilling.”
I also want to mention that cashmere requires special care, given its silky soft texture and one-time natural pilling. NAADAM does offer a few care accessories for purchase that will help elongate the length of the pieces’ lives, but to be honest, I’m not sure it’s necessary to stock up on them all. A good pilling remover, proper storage (aka the resealable bag), and infrequent washing (or dry cleaning) will probably be fine.
All in all, my husband and I felt that, while we would not be able to pay retail for these prices, NAADAM’s sweaters are definitely staple pieces that will last for winters to come. Most importantly, they are fashionable and comfortable enough that we’ll enjoy wearing them each year.
Henah Velez (she/her) is the Senior Editor at Money with Katie at Morning Brew, as well as a writer at The Good Trade. She holds a Master’s in Social Entrepreneurship and is a proud Rutgers grad. Originally from NJ, Henah’s now in the Bay Area where she loves shopping small, hanging with her pets, or traveling. Say hi on Instagram!
