Drawing on an innate connection with her local coastline, an ethical commitment to quality and sustainability, and a deep knowledge of textile development, Ros Duke designs honest, textural cashmere for modern women. 

Each piece begins its life by the sea. Walking the beach almost daily, Ros mines this ever-changing landscape for inspiration; textures on rocks and the water’s surface become patterns in the knitwear while flora and geological imperfections inform the colours used.

Designed by Ros in her Dublin studio, every garment is made with a lifetime in mind. Using the finest Italian yarn, Ros gently manipulates it to create her signature raised patterns, before sculpting it into understated, covetable shapes. The result is unimaginably soft, fluid and light cashmere that breathes in the summer and warms in the winter. 

Ros Duke was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. She received a BAdes in Fashion Design from NCAD in 1998 and a Postgraduate Certificate in Innovative Pattern-making from Central St Martins in London, in 2003. She has worked with some of fashion’s leading designers including Lainey Keogh for four years and later, John Rocha and Simone Rocha where she worked on their mainline collections in Ireland for over 10 years. Today Ros’s collections are stocked in Ireland and the US and have been featured by Vogue, Cosmopolitan and The Sunday Times.

Ethos

Ros has always designed consciously. Her pieces are made with consideration to the environment with zero waste and minimal impact on the planet. 

Designed and made to last, the majority of Ros Duke cashmere is proudly made in Dublin, Ireland where she has been working with the same artisan knitters from the very beginning. A select number of styles are made in Europe and Nepal by small family-run artisan production units that are committed to responsible manufacturing via sustainable low impact production. 

Ros works closely with her knitters to balance traditional craftsmanship with innovative, technical processes. The goal is always to produce effortless, modern and essential knitwear, while highlighting cashmere’s soft handle and creating unexpected textures.

This year has brought a shift to the way Ros works. No longer seeing the value of adhering to the traditional fashion calendar, Ros’ focus is on working directly with her customers. New collections are now released in limited batches, with signature styles carried through and realised in new colours and patterns.

Process

STUDIO
Ros Duke’s small, light filled studio is located in the seaside village of Killiney. From initial sketching to knitting swatches, experimenting with textures and selecting colors, it all happens here under the old beech trees. 

SAMPLING
Each Ros Duke textile is sampled by Ros in her Dublin studio on a vintage domestic knitting machine. To create her signature raised patterns she works with a punched pattern card. Ros’ deep understanding of shape comes into play here, with the form of each piece built in tangent with the textile development.

COLOUR
Ros uses a pared-back and nature-evoking palette to highlight the unexpected and luxurious textures within her knit. She files away colours in her mind’s eye far in advance; it could be a pebble found on a beach walk or a colour recollected during a moment of solitude.

CASHMERE
To achieve the softest handle and a knit that is durable Ros uses a fine gauge yarn by Loro Piana. When it comes to the production of luxury cashmere, this sixth generation business is famed for their pursuit of excellence.