Brushed Cashmere: What It Is and How to Wear It

Brushed cashmere is cashmere knit given a finish that lifts its surface into a soft, lofty texture, so it reads as cloud-like where a plain knit shows a clear stitch. The Stockholm cashmere house Lisa Yang is our worked example, from the Juniper Sweater in Sand Brushed to the brushed pieces across our designer knitwear edit.

In short, brushed cashmere is a finishing process applied to the same fibre. Lisa Yang says it spent years refining the washing and finishing, and that precise control of water temperature and yarn tension gives the lofty surface. At Lisa Yang a brushed style costs more than the same style in plain knit, and it needs professional cleaning only.

How the brushed finish is made

Brushed Cashmere is one of the techniques Lisa Yang names in its Cashmere Lab. The house describes the finish as the result of years of work on washing and finishing. Two variables matter most: the temperature of the water and the tension on the yarn. When both are right, the knit takes on a lofty, cloud-like surface. The house also names a Brushed Argyle, the same finish applied to an argyle pattern.

The finish starts with the fibre. Lisa Yang uses hand-selected Grade A cashmere, with fibres 36 millimetres long and 14 micrometres in diameter, and the house says that longer, finer fibres resist pilling. The cashmere is combed by hand from the goats each spring as they shed. Lisa Yang told Monocle in December 2025, “Inner Mongolia produces the world’s best cashmere because the extreme cold causes its cashmere goats to grow exceptionally fine, long and soft undercoats”. Every 100% cashmere piece from the house is organic cashmere, and the house says its factory and its cashmere yarn are GOTS certified.

The house also makes a case for warmth. It points out that cashmere fibres average under 19 microns, against 60 to 120 for human hair, and that they are hollow. On its figures, cashmere insulates “over eight times better than wool”.

Brushed against plain knit

The clearest way to see the difference is a single style made both ways. The Sandy Sweater in Black is plain knit at 7 gauge for $720 at Coveti. The Sandy Sweater in Black Brushed is the same name in the brushed finish for $1,110 at Coveti. The fibre is 100% cashmere in both. The price difference pays for the extra finishing and the surface it leaves.

Plain knit is the house’s everyday construction. It comes in a year-round 12 gauge and a heavy 3 to 7 gauge for colder months, and you can read the stitch. A brushed finish blurs the stitch. Gauge, the number of stitches per inch, is printed on most plain knit pages, but the house publishes no gauge for most of its brushed pieces. Where it does, the figure is 7 gauge on women’s pieces such as the Azalea Cardigan, and 12 gauge on two of the men’s sweaters. Our guide to cashmere gauge explains what those numbers mean on the body.

Care is the other big difference. Lisa Yang allows plain and fine knits to be hand washed. Brushed cashmere, like boucle, is professional cleaning only. If you want a cashmere sweater you can wash in a basin, buy plain knit. If you want the brushed surface, budget for professional cleaning.

The brushed pieces at Coveti

Coveti carries 16 brushed styles from Lisa Yang, 12 for women and four for men, in 39 colourways. The table below lists every one.

The Juniper Sweater is the brushed style with the most colourways at Coveti, seven in all at $1,050 at Coveti, and it is one of the house Signatures, the pieces carried across seasons and signed with the Rou stamp. Rou is the Chinese word for a gentle, soft nature. One of the seven, Wood, is an argyle. The Azalea Cardigan in Wood Brushed is also a Signature, in four colourways at $1,040 at Coveti. Between them they cover a sweater and a cardigan in the same finish.

For a lower entry point, the Lexia Sweater in Navy Brushed is $890 at Coveti, the least expensive brushed piece we carry, in Navy, Sand and Truffle. The Natalia Sweater in Cream Brushed and the Margareta Sweater both sit at $1,200 at Coveti, and the multicolour Margy Sweater is $1,180 at Coveti.

Two more cardigans complete the knitwear. The Lucianne Cardigan in Dark Fern Brushed is $1,040 at Coveti. The Elaria Cardigan in Black Argyle Brushed is the most expensive brushed piece in the edit at $1,610 at Coveti.

The finish also appears beyond sweaters. The Asta Skirt in Cloudy Brushed is the one we would point to first, in five colourways at $1,340 at Coveti. The Lovisa T-shirt in Cream Brushed brings the finish to a short-sleeved shape at $960 at Coveti, and the Norell Top in Black Brushed is a sleeveless version at $980 at Coveti.

For men, the Lachlan Sweater in Graphite Brushed is in four colourways at $1,140 at Coveti, and the Devean Cardigan in Navy Brushed is $1,310 at Coveti. The Omar Sweater and the Glenn Stripes Sweater round out the men’s brushed pieces. Our guide to Lisa Yang menswear covers the full men’s line.

How to wear brushed cashmere

The brushed surface does the work, so keep what goes with it plain. A brushed sweater looks best against a flat, smooth fabric: a crisp cotton shirt collar, tailored wool trousers, a silk skirt. Two brushed pieces together can work too, as long as the colours are close. The Juniper over the Asta Skirt in the same shade gives a single soft column from shoulder to knee.

For a coat over the top, choose a clean, smooth cloth. Lisa Yang’s own woven doublé coats are 95% wool and 5% cashmere, two layers of woven fabric, and they make a sharp frame for a brushed knit. Browse our designer coats for the rest.

The Lovisa T-shirt and the Norell Top are the easy way into the finish. Under a blazer, they give you the surface in a small dose. Colour matters as well. The house works in a wide palette, and Lisa Yang told Monocle that she would not call the style minimalist. Dark Fern, Wood and Cloudy are good examples of brushed shades that are neither stark nor flat.

For sizing, the women’s brushed pieces are sold XS to L at Coveti, and the men’s run S to XL. Our guide to Lisa Yang sweaters compares the brushed Juniper and Sandy with the plain knit styles by fit.

Caring for brushed cashmere

The rule from the house is short: brushed cashmere is professional cleaning only. Do not put it in a basin, and do not put it in the washing machine on a wool cycle, both of which the house reserves for plain and fine knits. Our guide to washing cashmere applies to those plain pieces, not to the brushed ones.

Between cleans, most of the care is storage. The house says there is no need to clean cashmere after each wear, but keeping it clean helps deter moths. Store brushed pieces folded, never hung, away from sunlight. Cedarwood balls help against moths and should be replaced each year, and a breathable bag is the right home for long storage. Some pilling is normal in any cashmere, and the house suggests a cashmere comb to lift it off.

Brushed cashmere around the world

Buyers in the US will find every brushed piece listed in letter sizes and priced in US dollars at Coveti. In the colder northern cities, a brushed sweater under a wool coat carries through the winter, and the Asta Skirt works with boots and tights.

In the UK and the EU, the damp cold suits the brushed cardigans worn as a layer, over a shirt in the office and under a coat outside. The Azalea and the Lucianne both list 7 gauge, a weight you can keep on from morning to evening.

In the GCC, winter evenings are cool and interiors are air-conditioned, so the Lovisa T-shirt and the Norell Top are the practical brushed choices, with a sweater kept for travel. London-based Coveti ships worldwide, and every piece is 100% authentic. You can see the full range on our Lisa Yang brand page.

Brushed cashmere pieces at Coveti

How we measured: every live Coveti piece whose Lisa Yang product page names a brushed technique (“Brushed Cashmere”, “Argyle Brushed Cashmere”), 39 colourways in all on 31 October 2026, with US dollar list prices. The house publishes no gauge for most brushed pieces, so we do not give one.

Frequently asked questions

What is brushed cashmere?

Brushed cashmere is cashmere knit with a finish that gives it a soft, lofty, cloud-like surface. At Lisa Yang the house says the result comes from years of refining its washing and finishing, with precise control of water temperature and yarn tension. The fibre itself is the same 100% cashmere as plain knit.

Is brushed cashmere warmer than plain knit?

The house does not publish a warmth comparison between the two, so we would not claim one. What it does say is that cashmere fibres are hollow and insulate better than wool. For warmth, look at gauge first: lower numbers mean a thicker knit, and 3 to 7 gauge is the heavy range.

Can you wash brushed cashmere at home?

No. Lisa Yang asks for professional cleaning only on brushed cashmere, the same rule it gives for boucle. Hand washing and the gentle wool cycle are reserved for plain and fine knits. Between cleans, store brushed pieces folded and away from sunlight, and never hang them.

Which Lisa Yang brushed piece should I buy first?

The Juniper Sweater is the strongest first buy. It is a house Signature, it is live at Coveti in seven colourways, and it costs $1,050 at Coveti. If you want to spend less, the Lexia Sweater is the least expensive brushed piece we carry at $890 at Coveti.

Why does the brushed Sandy cost more than the plain Sandy?

The brushed version carries the extra finishing work. The plain knit Sandy Sweater is $720 at Coveti, and the brushed Sandy is $1,110 at Coveti, both in 100% cashmere. The house says its brushed finish took years to refine, with close control of water temperature and yarn tension.

Does Lisa Yang make brushed cashmere for men?

Yes. Coveti carries four brushed men’s styles from Lisa Yang: the Lachlan Sweater, the Devean Cardigan, the Omar Sweater and the Glenn Stripes Sweater. Lachlan comes in four colourways at $1,140 at Coveti, and the men’s pieces are sold S to XL. Care is professional cleaning only, as for the women’s pieces.