Inside Extreme Cashmere’s NY store, which feels like home

When Saskia Dijkstra founded Extreme Cashmere, she did not want there to be a label inside her signature Crew Hop sweater, preferring the product – which she has called the ‘perfect jumper’ – to speak for itself. She would eventually relent, though, when she opened the brand’s first retail store in Amsterdam’s Utrechtsestraat neighbourhood earlier this year, it was notable for the way that no product was displayed: instead, shoppers wanting to try pieces from the brand’s all-cashmere wardrobe would have to converse with store staff who would then help them select the perfect piece.

‘[It’s an] approach that has worked really well for us in Amsterdam,’ Dijkstra explains, noting that sales at the store have been buoyant despite the break with convention. ‘For us, service and personal connection are the most important. We want people to really experience the brand. By not displaying products on racks or shelves first thing as you walk in, we invite more interaction between our team and visitors – it creates room for conversation.’

A new store on New York’s Mercer Street, which opens this month (November 2025), follows this approach, with just a handful of garments on display (and none in the windows, which is typically prime marketing estate in the competitive SoHo neighbourhood). Instead, shoppers will enter a space reminiscent of a library or lobby, where vivid green carpeting – reminiscent of 1970s interiors – meets a bold assemblage of furnishings, shelves of books, flower arrangements, and product concealed in the brand’s signature cotton dust bags.

Designed by Dijkstra’s nephew, architect and designer Hidde Dijkstra, the brief was to create a space that recalls a ‘luxurious home’. Set around two rounded high-gloss centrepieces – designed by Hidde and used as display cases or as a cash desk – the rest of the furnishings have a similarly space-age feel, from steel-frame chairs by Milo Baughman (here playfully upholstered in poppy-print fabric) and cloud-like ceiling lights by Molo, to a bright-pink Sabine Marcelis ‘donut’ transported from the Amsterdam office to New York. Other vintage pieces, such as a 1970s Italian coffee table, were sourced from Marché aux Puces in Paris.

‘It all reflects our love for design and the time and care we put into finding just the right pieces from all over the world,’ she says. ‘The design is inspired by our flagship in Amsterdam, where the concept of “home” is central. We’ve carried that same feeling over to New York, but because the space is larger, we were able to play more with layout and spatial design. It’s still not merchandise-forward, just like in Amsterdam, but instead focused on creating a calm, inspiring environment.’

The decision to open the brand’s second permanent New York store came after a series of pop-ups, including on New York’s Upper East Side (the brand also hosted an ephemeral store-cum-café in LA’s Just One Eye concept store, though for now, the East Coast has taken priority). ‘We’ve always loved New York,’ says Dijkstra. ‘Our pop-up on Madison Avenue last year was such a success, and a lot of fun too, so opening a permanent space here felt like the natural next step. We loved being uptown before, but SoHo has a completely different energy. I love that there are people from all walks of life passing through.’

As for her own perfect day in New York, Dijkstra prefers to keep things simple: ‘I love visiting museums, we went to Dia Beacon yesterday, which was amazing, but honestly, I mostly enjoy the everyday things,’ she says. ‘Going grocery shopping, cooking dinner back at the house, just walking around early in the morning… there’s something about this city that makes you feel like you’re part of it right away.’

Extreme Cashmere, 152 Mercer Street, New York, NY 10012, extreme-cashmere.com