Mysto Cashmere's first Toronto pop-up ran on Saturday, September 20, 2026, at Icha Tea. We brought the nine-piece Lace Knit Capsule over from Vancouver — nine pieces built on ultra-fine Mongolian cashmere specified at 14.5 to 15.5 microns, running from a 19-gram scrunchie to a 189-gram sweater — and for most of the room it was the first time holding it.
Some cities greet their guests quietly. Toronto did not.
We arrived from Vancouver with a small collection and an open question. Toronto answered with warmth we are still holding onto.
Why we held a cashmere pop-up at Icha Tea
Pop-up shops in Toronto usually mean a rack of clothes in a rented white room. We wanted the opposite. Icha Tea is an established Toronto cafe known for its matcha, and the room gave Mysto a blank canvas. In a calm, intimate setting, the day became less a retail pop-up and more an experiential preview of the Lace Knit Capsule, where guests could meet the collection through touch, light, texture and movement rather than through a product photo.
There is a practical reason we do this. Almost everything that makes fine cashmere worth its price is invisible in a photograph. Weight, drape, how a knit recovers when you stretch it, how little you feel it against skin — none of that survives a product shot. A room and a cup of tea does what a photo cannot.
The Icha team hosted us for the day and served authentic tea to every guest. It gave everyone a reason to sit down, stay a little longer, and actually talk. We are grateful to them for opening their space and making it feel easy.
What makes this cashmere different: 14.5 to 15.5 microns
The question we were asked most often, in one form or another, was some version of: how do I know this is good cashmere? It is a fair question, because "100% cashmere" on a label tells you almost nothing about quality. Every Mysto piece carries the numbers instead, printed on the product page under Micron Count, Gauge, Yarn Count and Gram.
What micron count actually means
A micron is one thousandth of a millimetre, and it measures the diameter of a single fibre. Thinner fibre bends more easily, so it feels softer against skin and irritates less; it is also harder to spin and more expensive to buy. Nineteen microns is the ceiling for fibre that can be labelled cashmere at all, and commercial cashmere mostly runs from 15 to 19. Mysto specifies 14.5 to 15.5 microns for every collection, below the ordinary floor of that range.
That number is what guests were reacting to when nobody wanted to put the scarf down — it governs the hand, the softness against skin. How light a piece is for the coverage it gives is a separate question, and the answer there is the open lace construction. The Yarns covers where the fibre comes from, and our guide to ultra fine cashmere goes further into what micron count does and does not tell you.
Why the Lace Knit is 60% cashmere and 39% nylon
This is the honest part, and we would rather explain it than hide it. Eight of the nine pieces are 60% ultra-fine Mongolian cashmere, 39% nylon and 1% sequin thread. The exception is the Cashmere Lace Knit Sheer Top, which is 100% Grade A cashmere.
The nylon is there for structure. A lace knit is deliberately open and low in density — that is what makes it light and what gives it the pattern. Knit this open on a pure cashmere yarn, a garment is far more likely to stretch at the hem and stay that way. The nylon carries the tension in the yarn, which is what lets the openings hold their geometry through wear and washing. If you have ever owned an open-knit cashmere piece that went shapeless after three wears, this is what was missing.
Gauge, ply and yarn count, in plain language
Three more numbers describe how that fibre is turned into cloth, and they are worth ten seconds each.
- Gauge — needles per inch on the knitting machine. The eight lace-knit pieces are 9 gauge, a medium gauge; their openness comes from the lace stitch itself, not from the gauge. The Sheer Top is knit at 16 gauge on a much finer yarn, which is why it reads as a fine translucent layer rather than an open lace.
- Ply — strands twisted together into one yarn. The lace-knit pieces are 2-ply, which wears better than a single-ply yarn of the same fineness.
- Yarn count — length of yarn per unit of weight. In the metric system, a higher number means a finer yarn: the lace-knit pieces run at 12, the Sheer Top at 80.
None of these numbers are marketing. They are the manufacturing spec, and they are published because they are the only honest way to compare one cashmere piece against another.
The Lace Knit Capsule, piece by piece
For most people in the room, this was the first chance to handle our newest collection in person. Photographs only show so much. Here is the whole capsule with its numbers attached. Every piece is knit from cashmere measured at 14.5 to 15.5 microns, and the gram weights are the honest measure of how light an open knit can be.
Nine pieces, 19 grams to 189 grams
| Piece | Weight | Fit |
|---|---|---|
| Cashmere Lace Knit Scrunchie | 19 g | One size |
| Cashmere Lace Knit Beanie | 29 g | One size |
| Cashmere Lace Knit Shawl | 61 g | Relaxed |
| Cashmere Lace Knit Sheer Top | 83 g | Slim |
| Cashmere Lace Knit Short Sleeves | 86 g | Relaxed |
| Cashmere Lace Knit Tank | 91 g | Relaxed |
| Cashmere Lace Knit Scarf | 105 g | Relaxed |
| Cashmere Lace Knit Skirt | 119 g | Relaxed |
| Cashmere Lace Knit Sweater | 189 g | Oversized |
A few of those deserve a sentence of their own. The cashmere scarf at 105 grams is the piece most people picked up twice. The cashmere beanie weighs less than a deck of cards and still reads as a winter piece. The cashmere shawl is the lightest of the layers at 61 grams, and the cashmere tank top is the one that quietly does the most work across seasons.
Built as a capsule, not as separate statement pieces
Rather than individual statement pieces, the collection is built around matching silhouettes with interchangeable top options, so a look can shift in proportion, coverage and expression while keeping one visual language. Any of the tops works with the cashmere skirt, and in the four signature shades it matches exactly, which means two pieces read as a matching knit set rather than as two separate purchases. That was the thing guests worked out fastest once the pieces were on a table together.
The shades: Cream, Mocha, Cloud and Americano
Eight of the nine styles come in four signature shades — Cream, Mocha, Cloud and Americano — built to be layered over one another rather than chosen one at a time. The Sheer Top runs on its own palette of six: Cream, Mocha, Americano, London Fog, Espresso and Latte. Seeing them together is what shows you the capsule is a system, not a set of options. The Lace Knit Capsule page shows how the pieces are meant to work together.
What Toronto asked us about cashmere
The best part of the day was the conversation. Guests asked about the fabric, how the pieces wear, and where we are headed next. Putting faces to the people who follow our work meant a lot. These are the answers we gave most often.
Is an open knit warm enough for a Toronto autumn?
On its own, the Lace Knit is a transitional layer rather than a winter piece — an open structure traps less air, and trapped air is what keeps you warm. Worn over a fine cashmere base layer from our innerwear collection, it holds warmth well, because cashmere gives you a lot of loft for very little weight. For the coldest weeks, the heavier knits in our Rib Knit collection are the better starting point — same fibre, denser structure, more trapped air.
Will it pill?
Every cashmere garment pills where it rubs — under the arms, at a seatbelt line, where a bag strap sits. Short fibre is what causes it: the fine, short down that makes cashmere soft is also the fibre most likely to work its way out and ball up. That is the trade-off you accept for softness. A tightly spun 2-ply yarn helps, and resting a piece for a day between wears lets the fibres recover their shape. When pills appear, a cashmere comb takes them off — worked gently and flat so it does not catch the open stitches or the sequin thread — and the surface usually settles down for good after the first pass.
How do you care for it?
Hand wash in cool water with a wool-safe detergent, do not wring, press the water out in a towel, and dry flat away from direct heat. Store it folded rather than hung, so the shoulders do not carry the weight. Our FAQ page has the rest.
What you told us, and where to find us next
We heard plenty from you on fit, colour and what you would like to see next. All of it is noted and it will shape what we make. Thank you for the feedback, and for making the trip out.
We will be back in Toronto. Time and place are still to be decided, so follow along on Instagram for the announcement, or get in touch if you would rather we told you directly. Until then the full capsule is online with free shipping across Canada and the US, and our Sofar Sounds rooftop evening in Vancouver is the other side of this season.
Stay close. We will find you.
Frequently asked questions
What micron is Mysto cashmere?
Mysto specifies cashmere at 14.5 to 15.5 microns in fibre diameter across every collection, including the Lace Knit Capsule. Nineteen microns is the ceiling for fibre that can be labelled cashmere at all, and commercial cashmere mostly runs from 15 to 19, so 14.5 to 15.5 sits below the ordinary floor. Finer fibre feels softer against skin and irritates less. The exact figure is printed on every product page under Micron Count.
What is the Lace Knit Capsule made of?
Eight of the nine pieces are 60% ultra-fine Mongolian cashmere, 39% nylon and 1% sequin thread, knit at 9 gauge in a 2-ply yarn. The nylon is there for structure: it lets an open, low-density lace knit hold its shape instead of stretching out of it. The Cashmere Lace Knit Sheer Top is 100% Grade A cashmere, knit at 16 gauge in a pointelle structure.
Is cashmere warm, and is it warmer than wool?
Gram for gram cashmere is a strong insulator — fine, soft fibre with a lot of loft for very little weight, and finer than most sheep wool, though a good superfine merino comes close on fineness. But warmth is decided more by thickness and trapped air than by which animal the fibre came from, so a heavier wool garment can still be the warmer one. That is why structure matters as much as fibre here: the open Lace Knit is a transitional layer, while a dense rib knit in the same yarn is a winter piece.
Does cashmere pill, and how do you stop it?
All cashmere pills where friction occurs. Short fibre is the main cause — the fine, short down that makes cashmere soft is also the fibre most likely to migrate out and ball up. A tightly spun 2-ply yarn helps, as does resting a garment for a day between wears. Remove pills with a cashmere comb rather than pulling them off, working gently and flat on an open knit; the surface generally settles and stays smoother after the first de-pilling.
How do you wash cashmere?
Hand wash in cool water with a wool-safe or pH-neutral detergent. Do not wring or twist. Press the water out between two towels, reshape while damp, and dry flat away from radiators and direct sun. Store folded, never hung. Dry cleaning works, but the solvent and tumbling are hard on a fine open knit over time, so keep it occasional.
Can the tops and the skirt be worn as a set?
Yes. Every Lace Knit top is cut to pair with the Cashmere Lace Knit Skirt, and in the four signature shades — Cream, Mocha, Cloud and Americano — it matches exactly, so the capsule can be worn as a matching knit set or split across other pieces. The Sheer Top also comes in London Fog, Espresso and Latte, which have no matching skirt.
What is Icha Tea?
Icha Tea is a Toronto tea cafe known for its matcha, and it hosted the Mysto Cashmere pop-up for the day.
