By Elle & Yolande, Co-Founders of Elle & Riley
Long before Elle & Riley existed, we shared a love of cashmere. We were drawn to its softness, its warmth, and the quiet pleasure of a fibre that feels as beautiful to wear as it does to touch. When we founded the brand ten years ago, our hope was simply to share that feeling with others, through timeless pieces meant to be worn and treasured every day of the year.
Looking back, we can see a single idea has shaped every part of it: choosing to work with one fibre, continuing to discover new possibilities within it, and caring deeply about craftsmanship, quality, and the way a garment becomes part of someone's life. It is rarely dramatic. More often, it shows up as patience, consistency, and the quiet belief that some things are worth doing well.
That belief is what inspired The Language of Cashmere, our tenth-anniversary campaign.
10 Years, One Language
Twelve Words, Twelve Perspectives
To mark ten years, we invited people we deeply admire and respect, across fashion, design, art, literature, food and culture, to each interpret a single word through the lens of cashmere. Every contributor received a different word. Every interpretation is entirely their own.
No single word could ever capture everything cashmere is. But together, they begin to reveal something larger: a language shaped by different perspectives, united by a shared appreciation for an extraordinary natural fibre.
A Keepsake, Not A Collection
These words, and the campaign imagery that sits alongside them, have been brought together in a keepsake book produced in partnership with MILK Books. We are not sharing the words here. Some things are better discovered in full, in one sitting, in the book itself.
Ten years in, we still believe cashmere does not need to say much to say everything. We hope The Language of Cashmere gives you a way into that idea, in your own words, as much as ours.
