About the Cashmirino Brand

Cashmirino

Milano

We dress children as children in 100% natural fibres

from newborn to sixteen.

“When you dress children as children,

you are prolonging their innocence,

their magic.”

Maria Busquets Blazquez, Founder

CONTENTS

NATURAL FIBRES

1

SUSTAINABLE DESIGNS

2

QUALITY CONTROL

3

ARTISAN PRODUCTION

4

BESPOKE SERVICE

5

EDUCATION

6

NATURAL FIBRES

Babies develop in a completely natural environment inside their

mother’s womb and, for those nine months, they are securely

protected and kept at a constant temperature.

Once they’re born, it’s our turn to take care of their delicate,

sensitive, fragile skin. As newborns have only ever been in contact

with nature, we need to welcome them with love and open arms

and, also, the unparalleled softness, warmth and breathability that

only nature can provide.

Cashmirino garments are crafted exclusively from 100% natural

fibres, including cashmere, Pima cotton, silk, linen and, the most

recent addition, Royal Alpaca.

We use only textiles made from natural fibres because they are soft,

breathable, absorbent, hypoallergenic and regulate body temperature.

These are important properties when it comes to dressing babies and

young children who, oftentimes, cannot tell us if they are too hot or too

cold, or whether their skin is irritated or damp.

On hot days, natural fibres wick moisture away from the body, leaving

skin comfortable and dry. Conversely, on winter days, natural fibres

insulate against the cold, keeping little ones warm and snug.

This is pure gift from Mother Nature, which we harness with gratitude in

creating each little Cashmirino work of art.

CASHMERE

At Cashmirino, we work with only the finest quality cashmere.

Kashmir goats have been herded for centuries on the steppes of Inner

Mongolia, and this is the region from which we source our luxuriously

soft raw material.

Here, winter temperatures often drop below -30C, which encourages

the growth of a light, downy undercoat, that is harvested from the goat

underbelly during the spring season molt.

Each goat produces only six to eight ounces of wool per year. This is

what makes cashmere such a highly prized natural fibre, along with the

fact that it is three times more insulating than sheep’s wool.

A selection of our extensive range of colours

PIMA COTTON

Revered as the finest of all cottons, Peruvian Pima cotton is

hand-picked from the plant, so as not to damage the extra long fibres

that distinguish it from other varieties. This guarantees a beautiful, soft,

white end product with superior performance.

Once woven into textiles, these longer natural fibres produce a

smooth, super-soft fabric with a silken feel, that is longer-lasting and

more absorbent than normal cotton.

Pima cotton wicks moisture away from the skin, protecting against

dampness, making it a comfortable fabric for delicate little ones. Its

excellent durability means it can be washed again and again, hardly

losing its freshness and vitality.

ROYAL ALPACA

Royal Alpaca is a rare and unique natural fibre. Naturally hypoallergenic

and antibacterial, it makes up only 1% of all alpaca production.

We source our superior Royal Alpaca from high-altitude Peruvian alpaca.

The fine, hollow fibres from the coats of these curious animals are strong,

lightweight and durable, and also stain, odour and wrinkle resistant.

Alpaca is now considered an eco-friendly and sustainable natural

fibre source.

Royal Alpaca’s delicate fineness means that it won’t cause the itching

often associated with coarse, woollen fibres. This makes it an obvious

choice for Cashmirino, and a perfect material from which to design

garments to soothe little ones’ skin.

WOOL

Naturally breathable and superbly insulating,

wool has been used to make clothes for

millennia. Its fibres are hard-wearing and have

spring-like properties, so that garments can

stretch for comfort while retaining their shape.

Wool is also naturally odour-resistant and

adapts to changes in body temperature. This

makes it good to wear in both cold and warmer

months, and ideal for changeable weather.

Long-lasting and biodegradable at the end

of its useful life, wool is a sustainable and

eco-friendly fibre as well.

LINEN

Linen is a textile made from the fibres of the flax

plant. It is labour-intensive to manufacture, but the

resulting material is strong and

absorbent. Cashmirino’s premium linen is

woven in European mills, producing a

long-lasting fabric of the very highest quality.

Perfect for warm and humid conditions, linen is

prized for its coolness, freshness and

breathability. Super-absorbent and quick

drying, it is an ideal fabric for children’s shirts and

dresses, that has been used with

confidence by dress-making mothers down the ages.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGNS

At Cashmirino, we do not support ‘fast fashion’, but create

timeless, classic styles that can be worn today, tomorrow and for

decades to come. By using premium quality natural fibres across

all our lines, we ensure that our garments fully withstand the test

of time, holding their shape and character.

Understanding this helps underscore the value of each

Cashmirino item. Each is, effectively, an heirloom piece that can

be passed down from one brother or sister to another.

Indeed, it is a privilege to witness this happening with our

customers. In time, we expect the same will happen from

generation to generation.

We believe in dressing children as children, not as

little adults. We want to prolong their innocence,

and let them enjoy the magic of being a child.

At Cashmirino, we delight in creating little princes

and princesses, who can play without a care in the

world. Our extensive (indeed unparalleled) range

of colours is designed to stimulate their evolving

senses, and our timeless, classic styles reflect the

enduring themes of childhood exuberance and joy.

The last thing we want is for them to care about

being ‘on trend’. There is time for this in the years

ahead. Above all, we want them to be comfortable,

free to move, and to look as cute as can be.

Every new season’s designs are conceived

to complement the previous year’s

collections, expressing Cashmirino’s

timelessness with a contemporary flavour.

Each year, we produce a number of very

small, exclusive collections (which are, by

nature, limited editions) that sit alongside

our classic, signature styles.

This kind of sustainability is something we

live on a daily basis, so our colours and

styles are always fresh, but with a hallmark

consistency that captures and preserves

the integrity of all our lines.

Cashmirino is a welcome antidote to the problems of modern

mass production. We are, effectively, a boutique fashion house,

with all the personalised attention and hand-crafting that small

production runs imply.

Each season we lovingly craft just a few pieces in each design,

with minimal environmental impact involved in sourcing the

materials needed to satisfy selective customer demand.

Consistent with our commitment to sustainability, we only work

with small factories in countries from around the world,

keeping traditional crafts and communities alive that might

otherwise be lost. This also ensures the exquisite quality for

which Cashmirino is renowned.

QUALITY CONTROL

We pride ourselves, at Cashmirino, on the strict quality control

procedures that accompany our production processes.

Every line is monitored closely from design to completion, and we

have failsafe systems in place to maintain the quality and integrity

of every single garment that carries our label. Maintaining

consistent quality is a team effort, and requires continuous

communication between primary producers, designers, artisans

and creators.

Close collaboration between every link of this delicate chain

ensures that we are efficient and accurate in our decision-making,

and can respond and adapt to changes needed, as they arise.

ARTISAN PRODUCTION

One of the hallmarks of the Cashmirino range is its fascination with

intricate creative flourishes, hand-crafting and superb attention to

detail. We are honoured to work with talented artisans from around

the world, who are skilled in the otherwise dying arts of

hand embroidery, appliqué, crocheting and smocking.

These are grand traditions, once valued for the mastery, beauty and

richness associated with their application, but all too often now

forgotten in the modern dash to mass production. We are proud, at

Cashmirino, to be just a small part of the story of ensuring that these

skills continue to be passed down to future generations.

SMOCKING

Our signature smocked dresses are hand-made by our little band

of trusted artisans in Italy and Spain. We are happy to enable these

talented women to combine their work with us with home and

family duties.

Smocking is a labour-intensive, age-old embroidery skill, and it

takes around three days to make one of these magnificent little

dresses. Over eight of the total hours involved is dedicated to the

fine needlework required for the front panel alone.

As each dress is made by hand and lovingly hand-smocked and

embroidered, each is totally unique. The result is a stunning

artisan-made outfit to enjoy now and pass down to future siblings

and generations.

BUTTONS

Everything about a Cashmirino garment is beautifully detailed

and highly finished. Our signature buttons are a perfect

example of this. Crafted from sea shells and colour-coded to

match each individual item, each button is subtly inscribed

with the Cashmirino name.

This almost hidden gem confers a decisive seal of originality

and quality, and verifies the prestigious provenance of each

collectible little treasure in the Cashmirino range

BESPOKE SERVICE

Because we are a boutique creator of wonderful, whimsical

garments for children, we delight in our customers’ ideas and inspirations.

So much so, that we have now begun partnering with them, designing and

producing items to order for that extra special, personalised touch.

This bespoke service includes designing and making dresses to order

(ideal for special occasions), embroidering personal messages within

garments (great for that special gift), and weaving messages into knitwear,

for a truly unique wardrobe piece.

This is a new Cashmirino service, so talk to us about your needs. We also

offer personal shopper appointments for customers who require

dedicated attention and guidance.

EDUCATION

Our faithful brand mascot, the Cashmirino bear, has been the inspiration

for the My Casmirino Family series of children’s books.

Financier father bear, designer mother bear, four kiddie bears and a

spaniel, help children understand about the clothes they wear, where they

come from, and how they are transformed into dresses, cardigans, hats

and mittens by the local artisans who craft them.

This wonderful collection helps children learn about travel, nature,

different people and cultures, and the relationships between siblings and

working parents, in a fun and engaging way. With the Cashmirino Family,

they appreciate their new outfit and learn how to value it,

in their own little way.

Maria Busquets Blazquez

CEO & Founder

A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDER

As a child, I loved to collect dolls, and I would spend hour after hour changing

them into little clothes that my great-auntie’s friend had knitted. They were

beautiful, intricately crafted in soft, pastel colours, and so small.

After studying business at university and working at Merrill Lynch for some years, I

realised that banking was not my true passion. So from there, I decided to channel

my love of learning and creativity, and opened a school in Milan called ‘Il Rifugio

Dei Curiosi’ (The Curious Refuge). It was a very cosy and warm place, where

students could learn an eclectic variety of skills, including photography,

interpreting children’s art, Japanese flower arranging, graphology and cooking

different cultural cuisines. It was a wonderful time.

Then I got married and two years later, in 1999, I gave life to one of my three

masterpieces: my daughter, Sofia. I felt truly blessed by this most magical

experience, incomparable to any other. Giving birth to Sofia completely changed

me. Passion, love and creativity guided my every step after this

profoundly life-changing event.

Like all mothers, I wanted the best for my child, so I struggled with the fact that I

was often wearing cashmere, while my daughter - the one with the more delicate

skin - wore mainly wool. The few cashmere items available for babies came in a

limited range of colours, like white, pink and blue.

So, I came up with the idea of designing and creating a line of cashmere for little

ones. I wanted it to be fun, cute and classy and, above all, to feature many different

colours and styles.

In 2000, my second work of art was born: my daughter, Monica. She entered the

world at the same time as my very first cashmere collection. In a way, Cashmirino

became another child and, as with my own children, I went through different

stages and transformations with my young business.

In 2003, I gave birth to my third and final masterpiece: my son, Nicola. He very

quickly became a great teacher for me, as I realised I had no idea what to design

for a big, masculine newborn. Having a boy is quite different from having girls. My

prior newborn collections were designed for delicate forms like those of my two

little daughters. My son, however, was definitely not delicate. He was strong and

round, not small and dainty. He looked better in more intense colours, like blue

and green. Pale tones did not suit him. They made him look very red - just like a

bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau! This inspired me to develop and expand my range.

I started playing with new designs and introduced new materials. Cotton made

its debut, and I began to create pretty, fifties-style dresses for my daughters, who

loved to spin around in them and watch the skirts make soft waves in the air. I loved

my son in shirts with Grandad collars, so they became part of the collection.

Quality was always top priority, and I committed to designing with 100% natural

fibres, like cashmere, cotton, linen and silk. I am a strong believer that children

should only wear natural textiles to allow their sensitive skin to breathe.

In 2008, my son started nursery. This gave me the opportunity to open my first

showroom in Milan, and Cashmirino began to grow. That same year, we opened a

shop in Milan, followed by a second in 2009. We opened in London in 2012, in a

charming boutique in Burlington Arcade. Here, and now also online, Cashmirino

offers the most comprehensive, creatively inspired and colourful collection of

cashmere and other luxury apparel for babies, toddlers and children.

Our textiles are sustainably sourced from around the world, and crafted by local

artisans and manufacturers, who enable us to showcase and preserve many

wonderful traditional skills. Their influence adds to the beauty and intricacy of our

classic styles, and has inspired us to help young ones understand the rich

provenance of quality garments, with our popular range of children’s books.

Each Cashmirino garment represents a labour of love. From top quality textiles, to

carefully considered colours, to the buttons that bear our name, each is designed

to be in the world for generations to come. This alone makes them invaluable.

We’re proud to enable the most comfortable, luxurious wearer

experience, with all the innocence, purity and perfection our little ones deserve.

Thank you for your interest in Cashmirino.

With much love,

Maria Busquets Blazquez

FLAGSHIP BOUTIQUE

MILAN BOUTIQUE

CONNAUGHT BOUTIQUE

31 Burlington Arcade

Via S. Pietro All’Orto,

17 Connaught Street

Mayfair

3

Connaught Village

London

20121 Milano MI

London

W1J 0PY

Italy

W2 2AY

+44 20 7495 0708

+39 02 7602 5965

+44 20 7402 0598

WELCOME TO CASHMIRINO

Thank you for your interest in Cashmirino, and welcome to our world.

To experience the warmth and wonder of our unique garments and

accessories for little ones, please visit our friendly boutiques or browse our

online collections.

To make a personal shopper appointment, please contact us at

personalshopper@cashmirino.com.

www.cashmirino.com

cashmirino.com