Famous pop star Taylor Swift recently promoted her new “Folklore” album by wearing an aran sweater, this traditional jumper could well have been knitted on the Aran Islands and supplied to Taylor by a company like https://www.shamrockgift.com/aran-sweaters. The new studio album released on the 24th of July 2020 actually features a single on it entitled, “Cardigan”. The eclectic selection of songs was all conceived during the Covid quarantines and Taylor herself describes them as a collection that “flowed like a stream of consciousness”.
Chris Evans the “Avengers” star was also pictured wearing an Aran sweater in “Knives Out” the 2019 thriller. Other celebrities who have been pictured wearing this traditional Irish attire are Elvis Presley and Steve McQueen with the clever tag line “The King & the King of Cool”! The popularity of this traditional Irish garment has grown considerably since the photographs of Steve McQueen, Elvis Presley and Chris Evans appeared on the Irish Embassy’s Twitter site. The local Blarney Woolen Mills store rang up an impressive 150% increase of sales through their tills.
It was while on the set of his 1957 movie “Jailhouse Rock”, that Elvis Presley actually wore his iconic Aran sweater, and Steve McQueen donned his traditional Irish jumper in the 1968 movie “The Thomas Crown Affair”. There are many other high-profile celebrities who have been photographed wearing this popular Irish knitwear including Grace Kelly and Marylin Monroe.
From Aran fishermen to film stars
The Aran sweater began as working clothing on the Aran Islands, a bleak and exposed place where crops are hard to grow. Surrounded by the Atlantic and Galway Bay, islanders relied heavily on fishing, and the wives and partners of fishermen knitted these sweaters to keep the men warm and dry while they worked their nets at sea.
That rugged history is part of why the sweater is seen as one of the most iconic pieces of menswear. It was adopted by 1960s icons such as Steve McQueen, and modern actors including Chris Evans and Adam Driver have since been photographed wearing one, bringing it back into the spotlight.
Its appeal now reaches well beyond men’s winter wear, and Aran-style knits have even appeared on alien characters in The Mandalorian.