Our Story: Ten Years of Devotion to Cashmere

A Love of Cashmere, Shared Between Mother and Daughter

A Love of Cashmere, Shared Between Mother and Daughter — Elle & Riley began the way the best things often do — with something loved so deeply it had to be shared. In 2016, mother and daughter Elle Pugh and Yolande Ellis founded Elle & Riley in New Zealand, united by a shared love of cashmere and a simple conviction: that a fibre this beautiful should not be reserved for the coldest months of the year. A decade on, that conviction has not changed. Elle & Riley remains family-founded and family-run, and every piece we create still begins with the same question we asked at the very start: how should this make you feel?

Why We Work With One Fibre Only

Elle & Riley is one of very few brands in the world to work exclusively in cashmere. This is not a limitation — it is a devotion.

When you dedicate yourself entirely to a single fibre, you come to understand it intimately: how it drapes, how it breathes, how it softens and settles over years of wear. That depth of knowledge shapes everything we do, from the weight of a Featherweight sweater to the generosity of a travel wrap. We would rather know one precious material completely than many materials in passing.

The Fibre Itself

Cashmere is one of nature's rarest and most remarkable materials. Each fine, delicate fibre is combed — never sheared — from the soft undercoat of cashmere goats, and a single sweater can require the annual harvest of several goats. It is this scarcity that makes cashmere so precious, and its properties that make it so beloved:

Cashmere is up to eight times warmer than wool, yet featherweight against the skin. It is naturally insulating and moisture-wicking, keeping you warm in winter and comfortable in warmer months — which is why we design for year-round wear, not a single season. It is also naturally hypoallergenic, making it exceptionally gentle on sensitive skin.

We use only 100% A-grade cashmere — the longest, finest fibres — because grade determines everything: softness, durability, and how beautifully a piece ages. Lesser grades pill and lose their shape. A-grade cashmere, cared for well, becomes softer with every year.

Made to Last, Made with Care

Every Elle & Riley piece passes through the hands of highly skilled artisans in a meticulous 26-step process, from raw fibre to finished garment. Our cashmere is OEKO-TEX certified and verified by The Good Cashmere Standard, an independent standard for sustainably and ethically produced cashmere that protects the welfare of the goats, the herders, and the grasslands they depend upon.

We design classics, not trends — pieces with indefinite styling potential that transcend seasons and, we hope, generations. This is slow fashion in its truest sense: buy once, buy well, and treasure it for a lifetime.

A Sense of Home

From the beginning, we wanted Elle & Riley to feel personal. Our New Zealand boutiques are designed to feel less like stores and more like being welcomed into our home — a place to slow down, to feel the fibre for yourself, and to be looked after by people who genuinely love what they do.

That warmth is the heart of the brand. Cashmere, to us, has never only been about luxury. It is about the quiet confidence of wearing something that feels incredible — the sense of being complete in cashmere.

Ten Years On

This year, Elle & Riley celebrates ten years. Ten years of one fibre, one family, and one enduring belief: that what you wear closest to your skin should make you feel extraordinary.

To everyone who has worn our cashmere, gifted it, and lived in it — thank you. Our story is, and always has been, yours too.

Explore our New Arrivals, visit us in store, or learn how to care for your cashmere in our Care Guide.