It zips up over my neck, covers my arms, and looks like art.

On the artisan zip cardigans with a collar that covers the throat, sleeves that cover the arms, and a print like a painting — with one zip line down the front that quietly takes off a size. Why a small South Carolina family made them this way, and why they're clearing them now.

By Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Posted September 2026 · 6 min read

I am 63 years old, and there are three things I would rather a cardigan simply took care of. My neck, which is the first place my age shows. My upper arms. And my middle, which most knits either cling to or hang off like a tent.

For years I could not find one that managed even two of them at once. I had started to feel a little invisible in my own clothes.

Then a woman in my church group here in Mount Pleasant kept turning up in cardigans that looked like small works of art and clearly felt comfortable at the same time. I finally asked her. She laughed and told me to read the Clarke family's letter first.

The Clarke family runs a small boutique here in South Carolina, family-run since 1986 — three generations, mother to daughter. They call these the Artisan Zip Cardigans, and their letter walks through the handful of things they refused to compromise on. I am going to let their words carry it, because they say it better than I could.

1A cut that skims, never clings

We cut these to skim the body rather than cling to it, and set a ribbed hem at the waist that gives a little shape without gripping. The single zip line running straight down the front is what quietly takes off a size.

2A high collar that zips over the throat

We finished every one with a high ribbed collar that zips right up over the throat — the first place the cold finds you, and the first place our age shows. Zip it to the chin against a draft, or leave it open for a softer neckline.

3Sleeves that cover the arms — to the wrist

We gave every one full-length sleeves that cover the arms down to a ribbed cuff at the wrist. Nothing grips the upper arm, and nothing slides down over your hands when you drop your arms.

4One smooth zip, not fussy buttons

We ran a smooth full-length zip down the front instead of a row of small buttons, so it goes on and off in one motion and sets exactly as open as you want. It is the easiest thing in the drawer to reach for on a busy morning.

5A print like a painting

We gave every design a print you would happily hang on a wall — painted florals, folk tapestry, a botanical drawn in fine line. Not one of them is a plain knit, and no two are ever the same.

6It fits the body you have

We make these across the full range of sizes, which varies a little from design to design, and cut them relaxed on purpose. It is meant to fit the woman — not make the woman fit the cardigan.

These, against the cardigans you've been buying

Why they're clearing them now

They priced these at $199.95 when they launched, and they sold at that price all season. But for America's 250th, the Clarke family wanted to give something back to the women who have kept their doors open since 1986 — so every one is going out at less than a third of that.

I ordered mine that evening. It arrived a few days later in a kraft-paper parcel with a short handwritten note from the family. I have reached for it more than anything else in my closet since.

I do not usually write things like this. But I spent too many years choosing between a cardigan that covered me and one that looked like anything at all — and these do both, and zip up in a second on top of it. If that sounds like you, I hope you find your size before they clear.

— Sandra Thompson · Mount Pleasant, SC

This is a personal account from a Clarke Family customer. Sandra was not paid to write it. · The Clarke Family · Family Fashion · South Carolina, since 1986 · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.