Irish cashmere cool

Colette Ashe

is an Irish knitter who has set her sights very high, preparing to take on the Italians at what they do best – fine gauge cashmere knitwear. She has invested in the most modern knitting equipment on the planet, a Shima Seiki Japanese computerised machine, one of only four in

Europe

, which is capable of making entire garments. It is in a studio near her home in the

Wicklow

countryside.

This formidable appliance, weighing over 800kg, is composed of more than 1,000 needles and can be programmed to produce garments that are “fully fashioned”. That means each piece in a sweater, for example, is knitted together by machine – not cut. The machine can also produce intarsia knitting which means creating pattern with multiple colours in light weights, unlike jacquard which is a heavier fabric.

In her airy studio, Ashe and her technician Manuel (Mannie) Murphy, a former blacksmith with a masters degree in engineering, collaborate on the Shima Seiki. The packaging it came with was so elaborate that it has been framed like a picture on one of the walls.

Both have been to Japan for instruction in its operation, Murphy for a longer period. An expert in metal fabrication, he has had to learn about knitting terms and how to work in a completely different medium. "I am very persistent until I get it right," he says. "I am learning how to make Colette's vision a reality," he adds, sitting at a computer screen linked to the machine. His development of an innovative programme for making a hoodie, for example, has already earned the admiration of his Japanese tutors and technicians.

Ashe’s debut collection of 25 items is now complete and ready to show to buyers. It consists of wrap dresses, coats, skirts, cardigans, sweaters and accessories such as beanies, snoods and scarves. It is colourful, supersoft and well thought out. “There is something for every woman in there and shapes are evolving. You think of the lifestyle – people skiing, on yachts or wherever, and you think of mothers and daughters and you design with that in mind,” she explains.

Ashe, who is from Sligo, graduated from Limerick School of Art & Design in 1991 and did a masters degree in fashion textiles, specialising in knit, in Nottingham. She earned the money to pay for her course picking tulips in the Netherlands. She campaigned for LSAD to acquire a computerised knitting machine – which they eventually did a year after she left. She worked in the Netherlands for two years before returning to Ireland and a job in Donegal. A lot of experience was gained working with Lainey Keogh for five years – until 2006 when she went part time. When her third child was born "and I finally finished the family", she was ready to realise a long term ambition to produce her own label, focusing on quality, design and finish.

"If we are going to compete in Europe, we have to go right up to the top. It is all about design and development and pushing technology rather than mass production. Our long term plan is to have 10 machines making stuff here. I don't see why companies like Chanel can't come to Ireland to have their knitwear made," she says.

This month she takes her collection, under the label Coletti, to show luxury buyers in New York – "the old fashioned way" – and gauge reaction.

Her yarns come from the best suppliers in Europe such as Loro Piano in Italy and Todd & Duncan in Scotland, spinners of the finest quality cashmere since the 19th century.

“I am starting from nothing, but we can take the best and develop it our way. I want to be proud of what I am doing and I want the business to grow organically.”

Photographs: Barry McCall Styling: Catherine Condell, assisted by Grace Browne. Hair: Michael Leong Make-up: Zoe Clarke Model: Gerda at Models 1 Additional clothing and footwear from Khan, Blackrock, Co Dublin