Merz b. Schwanen Merino Wool Beanie – Dark Navy

Merz b. Schwanen is a German brand and produces the GOOD ORIGINALS collection on old circular knitting machines/loopwheelers in Albstadt, a picturesque town on the Swabian Alb in Germany.
Nowadays, traditional circular knitting factories can only be found in Germany and Japan. The feel, texture and robustness of circular knit fabrics are unique, and this is partly due to the effort required to knit one meter of fabric.
Circular knitting machines are suspended, cylinder-shaped knitting machines that knit the fabric in the round at the body, creating a tube of fabric without side seams. Only one size can be produced at a time, and a loopwheeler can take up to an hour to knit one meter of this fabric quality.
The oldest circular knitting machine owned by Merz b. Schwanen dates back to 1889.
The Merz b. Schwanen brand was founded in 1911 by Balthasar Merz. In 2010, the brand was revived by Peter and Gitta Plotnicki and now also produces the wonderful qualities of the Good Basics line in Portugal with carefully selected partners.

Both the German brand Merz b. Schwanen and the Japanese label Whitesville know how to make a simple, really good T-shirt.
Ever since the first season of the Disney TV series "The Bear: King of the Kitchen", both brands have been the talk of the town when it comes to the perfect white T-shirt. Both T-shirts are worn by the main character Jeremy Allen White in the series, which led to a veritable run on these two loophweel T-shirts. This phenomenon also made it into the headlines of the NY Times.
Both T-shirts epitomize good old-fashioned quality, with the inimitable feel and robustness of the loopwheel distinguishing them from cheaper mass-produced T-shirts. The 8.6oz 215 from Merz b. Schwanen is produced on old loopwheelers in Germany and is slightly heavier than the 7oz jersey of the white Whitesville T-shirts. These come in a double pack and are produced on large knitting machines in Japan. The lack of side seams and the double-stitched and reinforced ribbed collar are quality features of both T-shirts and ensure that the fabric and collar do not stretch or wear out even when worn for long periods.

The simple answer to this question is: quality.
For example, both the world-famous 215 T-shirt and the super-heavy 2S14 T-shirts are still produced on old loopwheel machines in Germany (the oldest loopwheeler in the Swabian Alb dates back to 1889!!!).
These old loopwheelers are very rare nowadays and work purely mechanically, so that every adjustment has to be made manually with a great deal of sensitivity. Knitting one meter of fabric can take up to an hour and is inefficient and very costly and labor-intensive in today's mass production environment.
Nonetheless, the loopwheeled end product justifies every single cent through its durability, feel, texture and inimitable wearing comfort.