Patrick Assaraf

Patrick Assaraf began with a single T-shirt in Peruvian Pima cotton, and the label has grown outward from it. Headquartered in Toronto, it now knits an Extra-Fine Merino line in yarn drawn from Italian mills, shaped as polos, turtlenecks, mock necks, quarter-zips, full-zip cardigans and hoodies.

Texture is where the knits differ. Basketweave, bubble, ribbed, lattice and Milano stitches give the same yarn a different surface from one piece to the next, so two sweaters in one colour can still read as different garments. Beyond the knitwear, the men's range runs to shirts, shirt jackets, blazers and outerwear. The basketweave polo, a mid-weight merino knit cut to a regular fit, is the simplest place to start.