"Extreme Cashmere"'s Commitment & Uncompromising Pursuit of Cashmere Made in China: Experiencing Its Essence at the Amsterdam Headquarters

Genderless and size-less, "Extreme Cashmere" offers cashmere knitwear that suits everyone. This Dutch brand has maintained its core philosophy since its establishment nine years ago, gaining significant support in Japan due to its exceptional comfort.

At its headquarters, a renovated 17th-century building in the heart of Amsterdam, founder Saskia Dijkstra reminisced, "We started with just one model" as she reflected on the brand's inception in 2016.

Her goal is to have everyone dress up in cashmere knitwear without compromising on quality for price or restricting colors and shapes, embodying the brand’s origins and growth while exploring its appeal at the headquarters.

Cashmere Knitwear Boasting Limitless Variations

"Extreme Cashmere" started with one model and now offers over 100 variations of cashmere knitwear. For example, within the crew neck sweater category alone, there are currently 27 models available as of January 2025.

With variations in knitting styles, rib thickness, lengths, and fits ranging from oversized to tight, subtle silhouettes create a diverse array of expressions. Each item possesses its own unique charm, making it truly a treasure trove for finding the ideal cashmere knitwear.

Saskia emphasizes that “silhouette is crucial.” Using a foundation of staple models, she carefully examines the items to be presented each season while creating collections.

The brand’s practice of introducing collections titled "editions" rather than "seasons," presented twice a year in spring/summer and fall/winter, is one of the key features representing its seasonless and timeless concept.

Seasonless, timeless, genderless, and size-less. "Extreme Cashmere" breaks down all barriers, even pushing the limits of cashmere knit material.

From cross vests and tube tops to strapless dresses, tote bags, and skirts, the brand continues to challenge itself by creating items that are typically not crafted from cashmere.

These items feature a diverse color palette, ranging from nuanced colors like rust, desert, and eggshell, which are easy to style, to vibrant hues like fluorescent pink and striking sky blue that brighten everyday life.

The brand’s signature includes small tags resembling hand-stitched flags on the sleeves or hems of garments, indicating color variations of each piece.

Furthermore, care labels describing the proper maintenance methods for cashmere have also established themselves as iconic symbols of the brand.

While this tag is designed to be detachable, some fans intentionally choose to wear their pieces with the tag attached.

The Reason for Commitment to “Cashmere Made in China”

Saskia’s emphasis on cashmere quality is compelling, bolstered by her career background. With 25 years of experience in cashmere production in China as a manufacturing producer for brands like "Joseph" and "Jil Sander," she stands firmly on her principles.

“The reason for our brand’s existence and the excellence of our products is due to the people we work with,” she proudly states.

"Extreme Cashmere" uses only the highest quality, long-lasting cashmere sourced from goats residing in the mountainous regions of Inner Mongolia, China. The unique climate—long winters and brief, extreme hot summers—allows for the harvesting of some of the longest cashmere fibers in the world, which shed from the neck and belly of the goats.

The long cashmere fibers contribute to the durability of the brand’s products, making them less likely to pill. Additionally, the high density and weight distinguish them from other cashmere knitwear, enabling a noticeable warmth with just one day of wear.

While knitting loosely and reducing material usage could lower production costs, "Extreme Cashmere" never compromises on quality.

All production takes place in China, the source of raw materials, exemplifying superior quality, as showcased through the "Made in China" campaign launched in October 2024.

This initiative turns the negative image of “Made in China” on its head, serving as a love letter to local partners, with whom Saskia has cultivated trust for nearly 30 years. Simultaneously, it conveys a message about the production background supporting "Extreme Cashmere"'s quality to fans around the world.

In the campaign shoot, Saskia's Chinese friends and ordinary people encountered on the streets served as models.

This approach is consistent across campaigns in other cities as well, with advertising photos capturing everyday styling worn by ordinary people in the streets of New York, Seoul, and Tokyo, resonating widely with their natural charm.

The Brand's Spirituality as Represented by HQ & Their Indispensable Daily Routine

The advertising photos, lookbooks, and social media communications showcase innovative layering styles of knitwear. They refresh the traditional image of cashmere as rustic and for older generations, attracting the support of younger generations as a highly fashionable item.

Supporting this organic growth is the formation of a new community around the brand.

The core of the brand consists of staff mainly in their 20s and 30s. The headquarters, located along the canals of Amsterdam, features a space with large windows letting in natural light and high ceilings. Approximately 20 employees work across the departments of design, marketing, sales, and communication.

The headquarters, situated in a historic building that once served as a girls' school in the 17th century, comprises office spaces divided by teams, a store and showroom, a large dining space and kitchen accommodating all employees, and an underground laundry space for washing and repairing customers' cashmere knitwear for product aftercare.

The most striking impression comes from the spacious dining room adorned with bright red walls. This space, featuring a large fireplace, is where meals prepared by the resident chef are served, making lunchtime together for all employees a kind of ritual for the brand.

“Cashmere knitwear should be purchased from brands that specialize in cashmere,” stated Saskia at the amicable table surrounded by employees and guests. Just as one would buy bread from a bakery and vegetables from a greengrocer, she asserts that building trust in specialty stores is the foundation of craftsmanship.

Starting from a single model, “Extreme Cashmere” is now handled in over 300 stores worldwide and has been steadily expanding its business scale, including opening a pop-up store in New York at the end of last year.

“There is still a lot to be done moving forward,” Saskia showed her enthusiasm. “In New York, some customers were puzzled by the concept of size-less clothing and left the store immediately. While I felt the necessity to increase brand awareness, I also realized the importance of conveying the possibilities of cashmere itself,” she continued.

Remaining true to its essence and genuinely committed to craftsmanship, “Extreme Cashmere” will likely continue to expand across the globe without borders in the not-so-distant future.