Lisa Yang | 11 Types of Cashmere Knitting Techniques, a Niche Cashmere Brand from Stockholm that Balances Design and Quality
I first discovered Lisa Yang when writing an article on Exploring Over 300 Brands to Curate the 30 Best Niche Cashmere and Quiet Luxury Brands. I was intrigued as Lisa Yang, the founder, is originally from Beijing and uses a unique logo symbolizing "柔" (meaning “gentle” or “soft” in Chinese). She founded her cashmere brand in 2014, with headquarters for product development in Stockholm. Before starting her own brand, she worked as a designer at Acne Studios.
For this article, I checked Lane Crawford again, and it seems they no longer carry Lisa Yang. Currently, the only channel in China is through SKP. A quick search on Xiaohongshu reveals that SKP in Chengdu has Lisa Yang in stock, though I didn’t find it when I last visited Beijing’s SKP. Recently, Lauren Manoogian has a temporary pop-up on the 3rd floor of Beijing SKP, so if you’re interested in alpaca coats, you might want to visit and try them in person.
Alpaca fibers are soft and lightweight, making them a more affordable alternative to cashmere—often around half the price. With its minimalistic, comfortable designs, Lauren Manoogian has been performing well in the Chinese market over the last few years. Many fashion-conscious individuals who appreciate a cozy and laid-back style often purchase two or three pieces. The brand’s sales also do well in boutiques.
Lauren Manoogian opened an official account on Xiaohongshu last year, indicating they are making inroads into the Chinese market. Alpaca products are still niche in China’s fall and winter market, as garments made from this material started appearing only around 2021. Since alpaca originates in Peru, it’s easier for American brands to source this material. For China, Inner Mongolia’s proximity makes it the go-to region for cashmere, although it’s unfortunate that the highest-grade cashmere often goes to foreign brands first due to domestic brands’ limitations in design and brand strength.
I also noticed that most top foreign cashmere brands collaborate with Inner Mongolia’s suppliers, as Outer Mongolia’s production quality cannot match Inner Mongolia’s. Almost all of the high-quality cashmere brands I’ve encountered work with Inner Mongolian suppliers.
On Xiaohongshu, Lisa Yang appears more well-known than brands like arch4 or le kasha;. Pricing-wise, Lisa Yang is slightly more affordable, with lighter cashmere sweaters around 300 euros and brushed cashmere sweaters at about 400 euros. All three brands (Lisa Yang, Arch4, and Le Kasha) follow the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), so in my mind, they naturally fall into the same category, which is why I’m writing about all three this week.
Lisa Yang’s online retail channels include Mytheresa, The Outnet, Farfetch, and the UK edition of Net-A-Porter. On a side note, Net-A-Porter may close its Chinese Tmall store next year, possibly providing some great deals. You can also find Lisa Yang on Tmall Global, but caution is advised as the platform has received mixed reviews on Xiaohongshu, particularly for brands that register in Hong Kong to minimize Mainland China after-sales issues. With the rising costs of customer service, contacting e-commerce support is increasingly challenging. To resolve service issues on some platforms, users are even advised to contact the Shanghai government hotline at (021) 12345.
Design Philosophy
Lisa Yang’s brand aims to offer timeless, contemporary all-cashmere collections, encompassing both menswear and womenswear as well as home products. It advocates a "slow luxury" approach, emphasizing long-term value in cashmere products. Instead of chasing trends, Lisa Yang focuses on quality and sustainable design. The brand pays attention to detail, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern aesthetics to create cashmere pieces that are both versatile and durable.
Lisa Yang’s commitment to innovation in cashmere knitting techniques is particularly noteworthy. Their website even has a “Cashmere Lab” page dedicated to explaining the brand’s specific cashmere knitting methods. This article will highlight the primary knitting techniques in cashmere, accompanied by product images from Lisa Yang.
Overall, Lisa Yang offers a range of functional basics that are easy to wear, combining the staple designs of le kasha;with the innovative design of arch4 , much like the brand itself describes—a fusion of traditional craftsmanship with modern design.
cashmere knit techniques
Bouclé Cashmere: This is a type of cashmere yarn with a "looped" effect, resembling the textured look of terry towels. However, since it’s made from cashmere, it’s uniquely soft and thick. Using a special twisting and knitting technique, bouclé yarn creates small loops or curls, adding a voluminous and textured appearance to fabrics. This type of knit is often used in coats and cardigans, lending a cozy and layered effect.
Terry Knit is similar to bouclé cashmere, though it features larger, coarser loops, giving it a distinctively rugged texture.
Terry Knit: This knit style closely mimics towel texture with more pronounced loops called “terry loops,” which increase the surface area of the fabric for moisture absorption. Lisa Yang uses Terry Knit specifically in accessories like bags and gloves, where the texture can add a unique tactile appeal.
Brushed Cashmere: Also known as "fleece" cashmere, this treatment uses a brushing technique to give cashmere a soft, fuzzy surface. It’s very popular in brands like Erdos, JUZUI, and King Deer in China, especially over recent years. Lisa Yang’s brushed cashmere has been through two years of testing before its debut, focusing on warmth and soft texture, often compared to fur in softness. Domestically, brushed cashmere techniques are becoming more advanced, with fibers becoming increasingly longer. However, due to market pressures, some brands have shifted to lighter-weight materials.
Plissé Cashmere: Plissé, or "pleated," cashmere is created through pleating techniques that give the fabric a delicate, crinkled effect with enhanced stretch. This style, uncommon in cashmere due to its complexity, creates a soft, flowing look and a wrinkle-resistant texture, ideal for elegant draped items. While Lisa Yang mentions plissé cashmere on its website, no finished garments currently feature this style, suggesting production challenges or cost limitations.
Agnona, a luxury Italian brand providing fabrics for Dior and Valentino, has a plissé cashmere line with irregular pleats, showcasing this rare knit in ways that almost make it unrecognizable as cashmere.
Agnona, now owned by the Zegna family, is one of the prestigious, old-money cashmere brands, similar to Piacenza, Colombo, and N.Peal. Only a few high-end manufacturers, like the Venice-based Martina Vidal or the U.S. cashmere supplier TSE, currently produce this unique style.
Lemme is another Italian brand that produces a pleated wool skirt with 10% cashmere, suitable for those who appreciate wool blends.
For anyone open to wool, Lemme’s collections feature merino wool basics, typically priced between 1,000-2,000 RMB, with fine merino wool that doesn’t irritate the skin. The brand is still in its early stages with limited offerings, making it an exciting find if you’re traveling in Italy.
Double Face: This technique involves a double-sided, two-tone knit, typically in a plain stitch. Lisa Yang's 2024 Fall/Winter "Sonya" carrot pants are a good example, showcasing contrasting inner and outer colors, with black lined in gray and beige lined in orange. This double-layered structure creates a dense, structured texture, similar to Full Needle Milano.
Full Needle Milano (Milano Rib): This is a dense, supportive knit structure made by interlacing two sets of yarns diagonally, giving one side a fine vertical rib pattern and the other a diagonal texture. This structure offers strength and shape retention, perfect for tailored garments like cardigans, coats, and jackets. Lisa Yang’s brown cardigan uses this technique, showcasing a clean, compact surface.
Fisherman Rib: Known for its thick, elastic, and warm texture, Fisherman Rib is a traditional ribbed knit with added depth and softness. Its robust, cozy feel makes it ideal for winter sweaters, scarves, and hats. Lisa Yang frequently uses this knit for her heavier cashmere sweaters and cardigans, with a look similar to China’s “yuanbao” stitch.
Sparkle Knit: This knit adds metallic threads, sequins, or pearlescent yarn to standard cashmere, creating a shimmering effect. The luster can be adjusted from subtle to striking, though metallic fibers can sometimes feel scratchy against the skin. Lisa Yang’s use of Sparkle Knit, as seen in her blue set and a men’s black sweater, captures a "starry night" aesthetic.
Open Knit: Characterized by gaps or open holes, this style results in a lightweight and breathable fabric. The open knit often creates a loose or mesh-like texture, giving a visual and tactile sense of airiness. Brands like Brunello Cucinelli favor it for summer. Lisa Yang’s current collection features a 100% cashmere open knit set.
Cable Knit: Known as the "twisted" or braided pattern, Cable Knit is a classic design seen in sweaters and scarves. Lisa Yang has limited cable knit options, with two new Fall/Winter 2024 men’s sweaters in green and gray. This green hue is a fresh addition to her men’s line, reminiscent of Ralph Lauren’s iconic designs.
Nordic Fair Isle: Originating from Scotland’s Fair Isle and incorporating Nordic color and geometric designs, this pattern is iconic for its symmetry and repeated geometric motifs, like snowflakes, stars, and diamonds, often in vibrant or natural tones. Fair Isle is distinctive and recognizable, but finding cashmere items in this style and in preferred colors can be challenging.
Signature Pieces
Lisa Yang releases a lookbook each season, which serves as an ideal guide to her design direction. By examining the lookbook, we can also get a sense of current trends. Lisa Yang’s design quality is consistently high, and if buying from her website directly is an option, it’s often better than third-party channels due to broader availability and variety. Popular items tend to sell out quickly on her official site.
We’ll start with women’s wear, followed by men’s. Lisa Yang’s menswear cuts are some of the most stylish and youthful I’ve seen, with a relaxed vibe. For menswear, you could also consider brands like arch4 and le kasha for down vests and turtleneck sweaters. Lisa Yang’s boucle cashmere and double-face low-neck sweaters, cashmere jackets, and straight-leg pants are also great options. Her women’s wear is even more expansive.
Women’s 2024 Fall/Winter
For Fall/Winter 2024, brushed cashmere is used extensively, with the website dedicating a whole category to it. Brushed cashmere garments, with their soft, fluffy texture, reflect Lisa Yang's signature "soft" aesthetic, and her website features around 60 pieces using this technique.
New pieces for 2024 include the single-shoulder Dae Top, the Asta Skirt, and Ellery Trousers (all in black tones).
Classic items like the Madeline Top and Lovisa T-shirt have also been reimagined to suit the current collection, with improved styling and modern design elements.
For comparison, I saw a similar black brushed cashmere set from ZUCZUG last month at an outlet, with a pair of black brushed cashmere pants and a matching dress. It has a similar aesthetic to Lisa Yang’s but offers more frequent discounts, so I’ll be keeping an eye on it. Currently, my wardrobe leans toward light, warm colors rather than black.
Brushed cashmere is known for its warmth due to the length of its fibers, which can trap body heat more effectively than plain stitches or rib knits.
A standout piece this season is the Kendall Cardigan in black, which combines a shawl and cardigan in one garment—a unique design I haven’t seen before.
Another highlight of the 2024 AW collection is the Sparkle Knit set. The Lorena Top (€420) and Rena Skirt (€680) are both crafted in this unique knit that resembles a starry night sky in deep blue—a mesmerizing look.
The navy thick shawl collar cardigan is priced at €790, a piece that in other brands like Le Kasha would only fetch a thicker sweater. It pairs well with the €390 Mette Fringed Skirt, both in cashmere.
Another new piece for 2024 is the Fiora Coat in gray, featuring brown lockstitch seams that bear a resemblance to Totême’s popular wool scarf coat, both in cut and length. There’s also a black version without the contrast trim.
Below are pieces made in boucle cashmere, a blend of 80% cashmere and 20% nylon. These include the Aniya Dress, Khloe Wide-Leg Pants, and the Rina Scarf in plain knit.
The Rina Scarf is a hooded piece available in gray and black plain knits as well as a brushed green option. This green color, reminiscent of wetlands, has a comforting warmth—a great choice for this season. Lisa Yang’s new collection for both men and women includes this beautiful shade of green.
The Zaya Top in forest green is a standout from past collections, with its previous version in black, which is currently the only color available on the website. The green version seems to have sold out. The top features distinctive side slits and a unique square front design, adding to its charm.
Another sold-out item is the boucle knit vest-long cardigan in green, paired with the white Zaya Top and Sonya white cashmere pants. Unfortunately, the website currently doesn’t have links for these items.
The collection also features a striking Klein blue Josie cashmere sweater and skirt set. While third-party sellers may still have some availability, the website only has the black version of the Josie. Klein blue and sapphire blue coats have been trending this year.
For 2024 AW, the white Freya Top in rib knit introduces a halter-neck design, something I’ve previously only seen in summer dresses. Other white options include the Mei Trousers and Lei Sweater in open knit, and the Sonya Pants in double-face white cashmere.
Overall, the 2024 AW color palette for Lisa Yang leans heavily on black, gray, and deep navy, with standout bright tones in Klein blue and forest green, creating a beautiful balance for the season.
Classic Pieces
Lisa Yang has highlighted its signature styles, and here’s a summary of some of the brand’s most classic and popular items. Some pieces overlap with the 2024 AW collection, so only unique styles are mentioned here.
The Natalia brushed cashmere sweater is a standout, with the widest color range available and serving as a flagship style for Lisa Yang’s brushed cashmere line.
The Danni cashmere cardigan is a true classic, offered in numerous colors, emphasizing its popularity and timelessness.
Lisa Yang has two popular loose turtleneck sweaters: the Heidi in plain knit, which offers more color options, and the Therese in fisherman rib, available in black, white, and gray. The Therese is thicker and warmer, reflecting the fisherman rib’s denser weave and higher cashmere content.
The Devyne vest stands out with its wide square shoulder straps, round neckline, and fitted waist, available in black, white, and bright colors. The unique design gives it a structured look.
In pants, the Sofaya and Sofi cashmere pants are staples, available in black, gray, camel, and sand. Many pants on online platforms follow this classic Lisa Yang design.
The Oma Bag is a rare 100% cashmere accessory, featuring a soft and plush texture with a quirky, rounded shape. The red color is particularly vibrant, and here it’s styled with a sweater from the Heidi series.
Lisa Yang’s cashmere accessories also include pillows and blankets. The cashmere blanket measures 2m x 1.3m, designed as a single-person throw and priced at around €2000. Other luxury cashmere brands, like 1436, often retail their blankets at higher prices even at a discount, but it’s rare to see a larger 2m x 2m size among them.
Men's 2024 Autumn/Winter Collection
With nearly 5,000 words written, I'll combine the men's 2024 AW collection with classic styles. This year, some of Lisa Yang's new men's items are classic styles in new colors. Overall, Lisa Yang's menswear collection is more relaxed and fashionable compared to le kasha(which focuses on fitted basics and cashmere joggers) and arch4 (which has more conventional menswear fits with turtlenecks). The materials are more substantial, with many drop-shoulder designs and roomy sleeves for a loose fit.
The Wilson basic striped cashmere sweater comes in camel and sand colors, slightly thicker than usual. Sand color is new this year.
The Kristian Sweater features thicker ribbing at the cuffs, collar, and hem, available in grey and blue. There's also a boucle version called the Zion series in white and grey, which is thicker and costs 260 euros more due to the bouclé fabric.
The Zion 2024 AW also released a green version, though it's not linked on the official website.
The men's cable knit cashmere sweater images are only in the lookbook, not on the website. The green matches the women's collection, being Lisa Yang's 2024 AW signature color.
The hoodie series has similar fabric and colors but different fits, previously only available in white.
2024 AW also introduced matcha green cashmere hats and scarves in bouclé texture.
The thinner, lower-priced Mason Sweater now comes in the same green as the women's collection. This series has four colors total and is Lisa Yang's entry-level men's basic, with the lowest price point.
The Clayton series has similar pricing and fabric to the Mason, with a V-neck design.
Men's cashmere pants come in two classic series. One is the double-face Park series straight-leg pants, very casual yet luxurious, similar to the women's Sonya fit and fabric. Currently only available in two colors shown.
The other is the bouclé Jayden trousers, 70 euros cheaper than the double-face Parker. The fit is casual but with shorter legs.
The standout men's cashmere cardigan is the nearly 100-euro thickened double-face Louis jacket, available in four colors, showing its classic status.
The other regular knit Wilson cashmere cardigan comes in grey and blue. The style is attractive, usually only seen in womenswear, though I think it's a bit too long.
Epilogue
Nothing much to say. After writing several fashion brand articles consecutively, I saw many beautiful clothes and learned a lot, but it's also quite tiring. The layout has also been updated and upgraded.
However, Lane Crawford has recently removed more cost-effective cashmere brands like Lisa Yang and Dreyden, keeping only the brands with higher cashmere markups. Additionally, Lane Crawford's pricing is generally 2000-5000 RMB more expensive than the same items on international brand official websites when converted to RMB.
In this tough economic environment, Hermès is raising prices to protect its core customer base, rather than expanding into the middle class market.
by: pamperherself
