KNITTING WITS

What is the secret to the perfect knit? “It starts with comfort, the yarns have to be good quality and soft to touch,” says Zoë Jordan, founder of Zoë Jordan knitwear, ”Then for me, colour and texture are paramount as well as sculptural shape and unique detailing.”

Since launching her luxury brand in the spring of 2012, Zoë has been offering women a selection of exquisite knitted pieces, everything from boyish cardigans to custom sweaters. She is just one of a handful of Irish designers who have taken the humble jumper and spun it into something contemporary, form-fitting and ultimately covetable.

Her Autumn Winter 2018 colour palette is so incredibly fresh and modern and is – in part – inspired by Dublin. “I’m always excited to come back. As a homage to my birth town, we recently shot six inspirational Dubliners in the KNITLAB collection, from actor Liam Cunningham to ballerina Zoe Ashe Brown and jockey Katie Walsh. They each wore their favourite styles in their most loved locations around the city and beyond.”

Then there’s former interior designer Lucy Nagle. Having studied and worked London, Lucy (lucky for us) turned her attention to textiles in 2003. The result has been collection after collection of simple cashmere sweaters that are timeless, versatile and a closet essential.

“A great cashmere sweater should feel like a hug!” she insists, “It should feel soft and comfortable against your skin.” What drives Lucy is having a real point of difference in her designs. “New colours and designs are all I think about – I love adding some newness throughout every season while remaining true to our pared-back, everyday aesthetic. I think women want simple designs they can wear with everything in their wardrobe, but they also want that something a little bit special – a sleeve detail, a pocket, a star, or just an over-size scarf but it’s got that extra design quirk that makes it so covetable.”

The cult following that Buffy Reid has garnered since she founded &Daughter is nothing short of fashion magic. Based on the heritage of her father’s jumper trade in Donegal, Buffy has reimagined the fisherman jumper in her own unique, compelling way. “The thing about heritage is that it makes something timeless and, in that sense, inherently modern. Our Aran knits use historical Aran stitch techniques but we knit them in a softer merino yarn rather than a very traditional wool. We also look at silhouette and design details to re-frame them in a way that feels relevant.”

For Buffy, it’s exciting to see a resurgence in the time-honoured craft that she is reinterpreting, “The Irish and Scottish makers we work with are amazingly talented and there are so few people left who can make knitwear the way they do. It was once an industry in decline but now there is a second wave of growth and demand and it’s brilliant to be part of that.”

For those of you enthralled by all three knitwear designers but still unsure which one will suit your wardrobe this season, we’ve asked them to suggest the stand-out piece of their new season offering.

THE ROLL NECK

For Lucy it’s all about a roll neck, “I’m already living in the slouchy bluebell turtleneck sweater – it’s such a happy shade of blue, every time I wear it, someone compliments it.”

THE SPORTY KNIT

Zoë highly recommends The Edison, “I think it’s a timeless piece and I love the unexpected nature of fusing sportswear with luxury fabrications. For me, it’s great for travel with the Hitchcock pants as a set, works with my tennis skirt, and equally over a more feminine dress for when I want to get dressed up but still keep it cool.”

THE TUNIC

And as for Buffy, “I’ve been wearing our Fintra Tunic non-stop for about two weeks. It’s a hard one to take off as it tends to work with everything. This season it comes in a Tartan Scarlet which is a beautiful vivid red.”

Whatever your favour, these three have your sartorial sweater desires all sewn up.

Now that you’re all cosy in your brand new cashmere, it’s time to line up some classic Christmas movies and indulge in a pamper-filled Wonderful Night In…