What we Carry Forward The Inspiration behind our Alberto Sweater

Some pieces of clothing go beyond utility and style–they’re woven with stories, memories, and the quiet wisdom of those who came before us. The Alberto Cardigan is one such piece, named after my grandfather (Gramps) who taught us that the simplest things in life often matter most.

Imagine being fourteen, crossing an ocean with nothing but a few names scribbled on a piece of paper and the address of a steel mill in Pennsylvania. That’s what Alberto did, leaving everything he knew in Italy to hop a boat to Ellis Island. While some of his family headed to Argentina chasing other opportunities., Alberto chose America. And we’re so glad he did.

Here’s  a photo of Gramps on his wedding day – looking just a bit terrified in his best suit – that makes me smile every time I see it. That young man had no idea the beautiful life ahead of him, but he was about to build something amazing. A life. And: inspire a sweater.

The folks at the mill told him to lie about his age to get work (I mean, what else was a 14-year-old supposed to do?). But Alberto couldn’t hold that secret for too long. Which I love. True to his nature, he came clean about his age – and you know what? They kept him on anyway. That job at the steel mill became his life's work, supporting my dad and our whole family.

You wouldn't believe what Alberto could do with a tiny plot of land. It always amazed us as kids. His house (the house our Dad grew up in), might have been right next to the train tracks, but his vegetable garden? Pure magic. I swear nobody in the neighborhood could grow tomatoes like Gramps.

Here's this wonderful, blurry memory-of-a-snapshot that my sister Lizanne found that captures exactly who our Italian-American Gramps was – at the kitchen table with my Granny and the family, wearing this perfectly lived-in cardigan (talk about foreshadowing!) and proudly holding up what I'm pretty sure is his homemade wine. That wry smile! He had this way of finding joy in the simplest things – tending his garden, making his wine, wearing his favorite cardigan.

Simple luxury

When it came time to create the sweater I’d been wanting in my own closet, I knew exactly what I wanted it to feel like. The Alberto Cardigan is hand-loomed in Bolivia from the softest brushed baby alpaca wool you can imagine. Our friend Anna, who runs our production there, ensures this. It's the kind of sweater that feels like a hug – comfortable, unpretentious, and made to last. We designed it to be one-size-fits-most because, well, comfort shouldn't be complicated (Alberto would've approved of that).

Every time I look at that kitchen photo, I'm reminded that the best things in life aren't the fanciest. They're the ones made with care, worn with love, and shared with family. While our Gramps probably never owned anything quite as luxurious as this baby alpaca sweater, I know he'd appreciate its simplicity, versatility and warmth. He'd probably say something funny about it being fancier than his garden clothes, then wear it anyway.

While my grandfather might never have owned a sweater quite this luxurious, I know he would appreciate its understated elegance and practicality, and the traditional craftsmanship that honors the kind of careful, (mostly) honest work that defined his life.

We hope that when you wear the Alberto, you're putting on more than just a sweater. You're wearing a reminder of all those who crossed oceans before us. Our ancestors, who planted gardens in whatever soil they found, who built lives from nothing but hope and hard work. 

This sweater is for anyone who understands that true luxury isn't about flash or status – it's about quality, comfort, and the stories we carry with us.

And if you happen to enjoy wearing it while sipping some homemade wine? Well, somewhere, Alberto is smiling.