Extreme Cashmere’s Saskia Dijkstra – who founded the Amsterdam-based cashmere brand to create the ‘perfect jumper’ – is evangelical about garment care. When Wallpaper* visited the Extreme Cashmere studio in 2022, Dijkstra recounted taking one of her cashmere jumpers from a woman in the street in order to wash it properly for her (as she’ll tell you, cashmere ‘loves water’).
The idea of ‘care’ provides the impetus for Extreme Cashmere’s first boutique in St Moritz, Switzerland, a town with which the brand has longtime links. Last year, the company brought its colourful and comprehensive cashmere wardrobe to St Moritz’s Alpine slopes, photographing a campaign in the historic ski resort and taking over local restaurant Trutz. The team also worked with Super Mountain St Moritz – a concept store in the town – on a special pop-up, comprising both Extreme Cashmere classics (like the brand’s cult ‘Crew Hop’ sweater) alongside exclusives for the cold-weather locale.
Extreme Cashmere opens first boutique in St Moritz
Created in collaboration with Apropos – The Concept Store, the new boutique is located on central St Moritz’s Via Somplaz 7 and playfully features a number of washing machines so customers can return to have their Extreme Cashmere products washed and cared for. The brand calls this process ‘an integral part of the extreme cashmere DNA’, with the belief that their products can accompany you for years to come if they are looked after properly. This includes regular washing on a cool wool cycle, drying the garment flat, ironing, and combing with a special cashmere comb.
The 40 sq m space provides an echo of the brand’s Amsterdam offices – located in a 17th-century building in the canal district – where sleek neutral decor meets a curation of colourful contemporary furniture for a feeling of home (every day the group sits at a communal table for lunch, while a laundry room is in constant operation in the basement). In St Moritz, the uncomplicated interior features sliding wooden cupboards to house the washing machines, a curtained fitting room, and wooden shelves that display a rainbow-coloured collection of Extreme Cashmere products. These include the Crew Hop, Bourgeois, Juna and Papilli styles (among others), as well as a range of the recently introduced lightweight cotton-cashmere pieces for summer.
Extreme Cashmere, which was founded in 2016, is built around the idea of creating a complete cashmere wardrobe, spanning classic sweaters, cardigans and scarves alongside playful party tops, strapless dresses, T-shirts and skirts in a panoply of shades. ‘No limits, no concessions,’ is the brand’s tagline, an attempt to challenge the oftentimes staid connotations that cashmere has traditionally held. ‘There was something odd about the name in the beginning,’ Dijkstra, previously told Wallpaper*. ‘But it fits perfectly – it’s really what it is.’
Extreme Cashmere St Moritz, Via Somplaz 7, St Moritz, Dorf is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 7pm.
