1-Week-Sweater Challenge: 7 Days In My Sustainable Sweater

The quality of this khullu sweater is unbeatable - durable, lightweight, and seamless.

Summer is coming to an end, and with fall knocking at the door, I decided it would be a good time to take the 1-Week Challenge. This challenge is something I've wanted to do for a while to learn about outfit repeating and simplifying my closet.

I captured what I did in my sweater each day, and in the end, I created this blog to show what I found out.

I've heard a lot about the yak wool and their sweaters through Oliver Charles's Instagram, but I didn't know if my expectations would line up with my experience.

As you can probably tell just by me publishing this blog, my experience over the 7 days didn't just line up with my expectations. No, my experience was actually much, much more.

When I first received my sweater, my initial impressions were something along the lines of, “ooh, it’s so soft!”

I thought the seamlessness of the 3D-knit sweater was super cool, so I made everyone in my family come over to inspect.

I’d be lying if I told you wearing my new sustainable sweater was a "challenge" at any point, but the task of wearing 1 sweater for 7 days was eye-opening.

Full disclosure, I wore my sweater for 10 consecutive days, and I’ll probably do it again! Here’s what I experienced for the first 7. 

Best Sweater Unboxing (Untubing?) Ever

I came home from work, and there was that distinctive tube with a yak containing the sweater I’d been thinking a lot about over the past few months.

It was like my birthday getting to rip open the one special present I really wanted!

I pulled my sweater out of its tube and put it on the table to snap a few pics. Then, 30 photos later, I finally put it on.

I was planning to wear it for a picture, then wait to start the challenge the next day, but I couldn’t bring myself to take it off; it was just too comfortable.

Once I had it on, it stayed on!

Versatile Pieces Are Key For A Simple Wardrobe

Heads up, day 2 was not glamorous - I had dental surgery and didn’t want to bail on my challenge, so I wore my sweater to my appointment.

“I’m young and healthy; my tooth will heal itself” is the biggest lie I have ever wanted to believe.

On the bright side, I’ve never felt better dressed for a trip to the dentist.

The yak wool was cozy enough to comfort me on the couch, and the classic style was nice enough to wear out of the house - that’s a rare find!

I thought, “if this day went well, day 3 will be even better!”

Wool Is The Best Material For A Sweater

Mowing, picking weeds, and getting the garden box ready. It was sunny but still in the 40s, so it was perfect sweater weather.

Usually, I would have been too hot with how much sun exposure there was, but because khullu is temperature regulating, I couldn’t have asked for a better top.

After a few hours in the yard, I took a breather and was super comfortable because the sweater didn't hold onto any of my sweat!

I would have typically changed out of my “chore clothes” to avoid smelling, but there was no need. I felt confident it would be ideal to wear the next day too.

Comfortable Sweater For WFH And The Office

Day four was kind of a snooze fest, but I have to say, I still felt cute.

I worked from home and went to the thrift store nearby on my lunch break to find vintage treasures. Then I stopped by the office for a meeting.

If I can go from the comfort of my own home into the office with the same work-appropriate outfit - I’d call that a major win.

Paired with jeans, keds, and a handkerchief - it’s a staple outfit for me, and the sweater fits right in.

I'm Building A Personal Uniform With 1 Sweater

I'd best describe the fit of my sweater as - made from memory foam... Okay, that's maybe not the best way to describe it, but here's what I mean.

My sweater is roomy where I want it to be but keeps its shape where I need it to, like around my wrists and waist.

You know when you wear a sweater a few times, and the elbows get all worn and floppy? That's not happening at all with my sweater.

Today, I layered my sweater over a striped button-up that looked perfect for my workday!

Then when I got home, I took the collared shirt off and put the sweater back on for a more relaxed feel.

Being able to wear my sweater comfortably wherever I go and in tons of different styles makes it super appealing to wear all the time.

This sweater is definitely becoming a building block in my personal uniform.

These Wool Sweaters Are Machine Washable!

Welcome to laundry day at my house! I learned my lesson the hard way on how to wash wool years ago.

I was still a little scared I would ruin my sweater since I hadn’t worn yak wool before, but success was had!

I wear a lot of natural fabrics like hemp and linen, so I washed my sweater with those clothes. I used an earth-friendly laundry detergent with a low pH level because it’s less harsh on high-quality materials.

I set my washing machine on a small, cool, delicate cycle. I had been wearing my Oliver Charles sweater religiously, so I was pretty excited to give it some tender lovin’ care.

When the load was finished, I laid my sweater out flat to let it air dry.

Then, the following day it was ready to wear again. The only reason I washed it is because it's part of the challenge. It didn’t smell or feel loose or gross.

I couldn’t wait to put on my freshly washed sweater for my last challenge day!

Go-To Sweater You'll Want To Wear Everyday

Sometimes clothes feel differently after being washed or worn for an extended time. So I wondered if these things would happen to my sweater, like shrinking, feeling scratchy, pilling, or stretching.

To my delight, I didn't have anything to worry about. Thankfully, the pilling under the arm thing that really drives me nuts wasn't an issue!

The way it fit and felt after being washed was as amazing as the first time I put it on.

I can’t think of a time I wore the same top this many days in a row and was still excited to put it on! I can’t imagine wearing any other kind of sweater now that I’ve done this challenge!

If you believe that every good wardrobe starts with owning less and owning better, consider buying yourself an OLIVER CHARLES sweater.