A serendipitous evening for Sphere One at the West Wicklow Festival, an exciting festival of chamber music near to where Lucy founded her cashmere brand in 1999.

For the festival’s 2024 winter series, founder Fiachra Garvey commissioned a special composition by the world famous Irish composer and conductor Eímear Noone. The piece was in honour of Dame Ninette de Valois, founder of the Royal Ballet. Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of ballet, few know that she was actually born in West Wicklow!

In 2022, Lucy had designed a cashmere sweater with billowing silk chiffon sleeves which she had named 'Ninette de Valois’. This style, and other ‘black tie’ cashmere styles with flourish are pieces that are supremely comfortable and have a demure elegance for evening wear. What better way to capture our black tie styles than at this magical winter festival where composer and musicians all wore Sphere One. 

Clarinest Carol McGonnell wears the Rufflecuff Sweater at the West Wicklow Festival, November 2024

'I'm always looking for clothes to wear on stage that are comfortable, and not too revealing, nothing that I have to worry about, I don't want to be worried about what I look like on stage. Tonight wearing Sphere One cashmere I just felt so comfortable, I felt elegant, it was just a lovely experience. I would never think of wearing a sweater on stage, but it's just so elegant, it's such a special piece, I felt great."

Composer and Conductor Eímear Noone wears Sphere One Rockstar Sweater at the West Wicklow Festival, November 2024

"Finding clothes to wear conducting orchestras is really really difficult. The first thing I think every artist is trying to find themselves and you're trying to find yourself in someone else's vision which is really difficult. You need to be comfortable but at the same time you want to express yourself. You want to feel a little bit cool maybe (I don't think of myself that way but it's good to feel that way in someone else's artistic vision I suppose!). It's amazing, Sphere One coming from Lucy Downes, one of Donna Karan's protégés, is really really special and I love this, it's cool, it's comfortable and I feel like myself."  

Sphere One has the deepest of respect for cashmere - the most noble of fibres - both for its luxuriousness, sensuality, and quality, but also for its practicality, movement and comfort. Over a few seasons, Lucy became interested in exploring 'Black Tie' styles, combining comfort and elegance with some drama, fluidity and textural interest. The intersection of formal dressing with graceful ease of movement gave rise to styles like the Capillary, Rufflecuff, Hendrix, Rockstar featuring clever detailing epitomising the thoughtful design ethos of Sphere One. Luxe velvet, chiffon and grosgrain lend flair, movement and magic, textural tonal interest, elevating and enhancing the colour of cashmere. Sphere One Black Tie epitomises elegant, refined and infinitely comfortable dress up occasions.

Violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen wears the Hendrix Sweater at the West Wicklow Festival, November 2024

Pianist Fiachra Garvey wears the Box Set with Velvet Sweater at the West Wicklow Festival, November 2024 

Videos by Taller Stories recorded at the winter series of the West Wicklow Festival in November 2024. Special thanks to Eímear Noone, Carol McGonnell, Tamsin Waley-Cohen and especially to festival organiser Fiachra Garvey.

View current collection.