About the 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.
cashmirino.com
