Vol.26 The Journey to the DUO COAT
- kaifuku8
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Every time winter draws near, I find myself standing in front of the closet. Not to ask which coat to wear — but how to wear it this year. That quiet question has driven us for the past three years.
At DOMELLE, our clothing is built upon two pillars.
One consists of the HIGHLIGHTS pieces that tell the seasonal story and bring our world into focus.
The other stands quietly in your wardrobe — dependable, understated, and essential to everyday life.
CASHMERE COAT belongs to the latter — a story of how our “wardrobe” has evolved, especially through the colder months.
In this feature, we look back from our debut in 2023AW through 2024AW to the latest 2025AW DUO COAT — tracing the evolution of the CASHMERE COAT.
The Pursuit of Unfamiliar Beauty
Since our debut in 2023AW, DOMELLE has created pure cashmere coats every season — the same material, the same craftsmanship, yet always a different answer.
This is not product development; it is a dialogue with beauty still unknown to us.
What is a coat?
It is not merely outerwear.
It defines the boundary between oneself and the outside world — shielding what’s within while expressing what reaches outward.
Through cashmere, we have explored that duality for three years.
This season, we arrived at the CASHMERE DUO COAT: a coat that divides in two and unites as one.
A coat that transforms — the culmination of a three-year journey.
Why Cashmere
Why cashmere?
Because we are drawn to its contradictions — the quiet tension it holds within.
Cashmere embodies a paradoxical beauty.
Raised in the harsh climate of Inner Mongolia, cashmere goats produce fibers that are fine, long, and densely packed. The natural oils lend a soft sheen that catches the light. It’s astonishingly light, yet warm with air; tender to the touch, yet deeply substantial.
Cashmere unites what clothing rarely can — refined lightness and unshakable weight.
To coexist — lightness and gravity, softness and strength — within a single form: that is the world DOMELLE seeks to express through every piece we make.
We chose a double-face cashmere, two layers of fabric bound with fine connecting yarns and finished as one.Those threads are delicately opened a few millimeters, and the seam allowance is invisibly hand-stitched inside.Each stitch is adjusted by the artisan’s fingertips, ensuring no seam appears on either side.
Why go that far?
Out of pure respect for the material.
Fine cashmere is already a completed form of beauty — a natural work of art. Our task is not to decorate it, but to let it speak. Technique, for us, exists not to show mastery, but to quietly support the fabric’s innate grace. That belief is the very core of DOMELLE’s craftsmanship.
2023AW — RICHNESS / The First Cashmere
Our debut began with a long coat and a generous stole — in undyed, natural beige cashmere.
The subtle top-tone revealed the fiber’s luster just as it was.
The stole draped at the neck could be wrapped or secured through shoulder loops on windy days.
The coat, button-free and robe-like, could also be belted at the waist.
We titled it “RICHNESS.”
But richness, to us, never meant opulence.
It meant a quiet dignity — grace that emanates from within.
Fastening the stole with purpose, walking with the coat in motion — within those gestures lived both discipline and freedom.
We wanted this coat to be more than protection from cold; to transform the wearer’s poise and state of mind.
When you first slip it on, your reflection seems subtly changed — your back a little straighter, your breath deeper. The coat’s weight rests on your shoulders, yet somehow you feel lighter.
Choosing cashmere for our very first collection was a statement of intent:
To show that DOMELLE would not chase trends, but devote time and skill to what endures.
That unwavering stance began here.
2024AW — SECURE / A Cape That Embraces
In our second year, we turned inward — to the quiet strength of security. A light-gray coat, adorned with an asymmetric cape across the front. The idea came from an observation: clothing doesn’t only appeal to the eye; it affects the mind.
When the chest is softly covered, the heart feels at ease — like the calm that comes when you pull a blanket over yourself at night. We wanted to translate that feeling into form.
Fastened at one shoulder, the cape gently envelops the upper body — a “protective” mode.
When buttoned behind the shoulders, the fabric flows gracefully into a “liberated” mode.
Even the belt offers dual styling, changing the silhouette with a single knot.
This coat responds to mood.
On anxious days, it shields you.
On lighthearted days, it opens up.
It guards the body — and quietly consoles the heart.
We chose light gray because it embodies composure: neither bright nor dark, always calm.
It blends with morning light and evening streets alike — a rational neutrality that soothes emotion.
I still remember the feeling as the cape’s weight settled across my back — a paradox again: the heaviness of cashmere and the lightness of spirit. It felt as if someone had gently placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. You walk alone, yet you are not alone.The coat stays close.
By our second year, we understood: a coat is not merely an article of clothing.
It’s the most intimate companion to the wearer’s state of mind.
2025AW — TRANSFORM / The Duo Coat
And now, the third year: TRANSFORM.
The CASHMERE DUO COAT divides in two — and becomes one again.
It begins with a long gilet: deep V neckline, side slits, minimal details — confident in its simplicity.
Worn alone, it anchors layered looks.
Then, a short jacket: rounded back seams and relaxed sleeves — softly structured, yet sharp with a tailored collar. It balances ease and precision, evoking quiet energy.
Join the two pieces together with discreet snaps at the back collar — and they transform into a long Chester coat.
Why deconstruct a coat?
Because we realized a coat can be both complete and ever-changing.
It can shift with the weather, the mood, the place, or the moment you are in.
Imagine wearing the gilet to the office on a crisp Monday morning; the short jacket for a weekend brunch; and both together when true winter arrives.
Not three coats, but one coat — with three distinct stories.
We chose charcoal gray as a natural evolution from the previous seasons: Natural beige spoke of material purity.
Light gray expressed serenity.
Now, charcoal gray represents stability within change.
It harmonizes with every tone, every layer, every occasion.Because it transforms, its color must remain timeless.
When we snapped the two parts together, there was a quiet certainty — “This is it.”
Two pieces became one, yet could separate again at any time. Unfixed — and therefore free.
The CASHMERE DUO COAT stands as our answer to a question we’ve pursued since our debut:
What does it mean to free clothing from structure itself?
A Spiral of Exploration
Why keep making the same cashmere coat every season?
Because we still don’t fully know what beauty is. And that humble unknowing — the knowledge of not knowing — is the truest mark of our integrity. We do not follow trends, nor settle for easy answers. That disciplined curiosity is the compass our customers can trust.
“What is a coat?” “What does it mean to wear?”
Each season answers these questions differently.
23AW embodied richness.
24AW explored emotional security.
25AW embraces transformation.
Each answer leads to another question.
Our journey is not linear — it’s a spiral, circling the same theme while slowly descending deeper into its essence.
We call this a work, not a product, because it exists beyond fashion cycles.
It’s made to be worn not just this winter, but for many to come — to reveal something new each time you wear it.
While apparel brands sell, DOMELLE seeks to ask.
We are not masters of beauty; we are its lifelong students.
Through our pieces, we hope to awaken something within the wearer — a quiet answer of their own.
So we ask again:
What do you choose to wear?
Warmth?
Comfort?
Freedom to change?
There is no single answer.
It shifts with your mood, your season, your stage of life.
That’s why this coat, even years later, will still feel new.
In your closet, a cashmere coat waits silently — asking, “How will you live today?”
And we will keep asking too, next season and the one after — using the same material, the same care, yet always seeking a new answer.
When you take this coat into your hands, we imagine the story that will begin for you today.
That thought alone makes us want to create the next one.