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The Cashmere Designer

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France
Bordeaux
The Cashmere Designer

Freelance Knitwear Designer
https://www.thecashmeredesigner.com/

22/04/2025

What to do when your first sample arrives from the factory 👀✨
It’s such a big moment—your designs are finally coming to life! But before you get swept away by excitement (or disappointment), here’s what to do next…

Swipe through for a step-by-step guide I use with my clients when we review samples for new knitwear collections.

Whether you’re working with cashmere, merino or cotton, a solid review process will help you refine your design, avoid expensive mistakes, and build a better product.

If you’re starting a knitwear brand and feeling unsure how to work with your factory or assess your samples—this is exactly the kind of support I offer.

📩 DM me if you’d like help reviewing your samples or developing your next round of tech packs.

✨

03/04/2025

Not all cashmere is created equal...

I had a discovery call last night with someone who REALLY didn’t want their cashmere to pill (I mean, very few people want it to 🤣 )

Here’s what I told him:

🧶 Grade A – The finest quality, with fibres as thin as 14-15.5 microns and over 34mm in length. Ultra-soft, long-lasting, and less prone to pilling—but also the most expensive.

🧶 Grade B – Slightly thicker and shorter, around 16-19 microns. Still soft but less luxurious, making it a more affordable option.

🧶 Grade C – The coarsest at 20+ microns. While still cashmere, it lacks the buttery softness of higher grades and is often used in more budget-friendly cashmere products.

If cost is a concern, a merino-cashmere blend can be a great alternative. Fine merino wool (around 17-19 microns) adds durability while keeping the softness and luxury feel at a lower price point.

Understanding fibre grades helps when sourcing or buying cashmere, ensuring the best balance of luxury, durability, and budget, knowing when switch to a blend to save the cost is imperative.

Would you consider a merino/ cashmere blend over 100% cashmere?

What matters more, that you like the design or the handfeel is amazing?

quality

11/02/2025

Starting a brand? It’s easy to fill a mood board with ideas you love but have you thought about what will actually sell?

Instead of just asking ‘What do I like?’, try looking at what people are searching for! Sites like Answer the Public and Also Asked can help you uncover real demand. If you’re building a DTC e-commerce brand, getting your SEO right from the start is a game-changer.

Swipe through to learn how to make your brand ideas more strategic!

10/12/2024

When it comes to knitwear, your fibre choice is everything!

Each fibre has its own pros and cons, so here’s a breakdown of some of the most common ones my clients ask about: Alpaca, Cashmere, Merino, and Acrylic. 🧶

I’ll admit, I felt a bit weird including acrylic in this series. It’s not exactly a fibre that screams “luxury,” but it’s a part of the knitting landscape, and I think it’s worth talking about. So much of the conversation around fibres centres on environmental impact (and rightly so!), but sometimes budget plays a bigger role in decision-making—and that’s okay, too.

Tell me what you think—do you think there’s ever a case for using acrylic? Let’s chat in the comments! 👇

27/11/2024

One of the problems I face is that many people don’t realise they need a sweater designer.

And why would they?

It’s a small, specialised corner of the fashion industry.

I’m fortunate to receive many referrals from other designers, for which I’m immensely grateful.

Here’s how I explain the difference:

Sweater Knits (Fully Fashioned or Whole Garment): These are engineered during the knitting process. Each panel of the sweater—such as the body, sleeves, and neckline—is knitted to shape and then linked together.

Cut-and-Sew Knitted Fabric: This method involves knitting a large piece of fabric, which is then cut into shapes and sewn together, much like woven garments. While it’s faster and cheaper, it typically produces more waste.

What do you think? How would you explain the difference between sweater knits and cut-and-sew knitted fabric?

11/10/2024

I don’t like working alone.

But I want to live where I do (rural France)

And be around for my daughter (aged 10, Gryffindor house)

And do what I do (design and develop knitwear for brands all over world)

So it’s a freelance life for me.

And one of the things I’m most proud of is that I have created a community that feels a bit like I have colleagues, mostly in my DMs, WhatsApps and the odd Google Meet coffee chat.

But every now and then, I get to travel and meet people in real life and it’s delicious!

I spent 4 days in Milan and Biella last week travelling to the Filo fair and then meeting face-to-face with suppliers and it has left me richer in every way.

The power of being around other people who get it too.

With my clients, I aim to be a guiding presence in this enormous and complex industry. I strive to be a friendly face, providing clearer communication through emails, and offering a pair of hands to help take tasks off your plate.

Someone who gets it.

11/10/2024

Why I called my business The Cashmere Designer.

Naming a business is never easy, right? You want to convey what you do with just a few words. Plus, you’re going to see it everywhere – so it’s got to feel right.

When I first started my freelance business, I toyed with names like ‘Kate Knight Knits’ or ‘Kate Knight Knitwear’ – but let’s just say the three K’s together had some… unfortunate connotations.

I landed on ‘Kate Knight Designs’... but it felt a bit bland. My name’s pretty common, so it didn’t stand out much.

Then I thought about what I’ve spent most of my career doing – designing cashmere knitwear for brands like Nordstrom and The White Company. I wanted to bring that experience to emerging brands, and that’s how ‘The Cashmere Designer’ started.

Three years on, though, I could probably be called ‘The Natural Fibres Designer’ with all the organic cotton, Merino wool, alpaca, and silk blends I’ve been working with recently

If you’re curious about any of those fibres, or need help with your brand, just drop me a DM. I’d love to chat!

01/10/2024

A step-by-step guide

23/09/2024

73% of you would like Italian production for the high-quality workmanship and the other 18% for the prestigious “made in Italy” tag- I can tell you that it’s all still there and in spades.

I saw fabulous yarns, innovative printing techniques, and low-minimums dye house quick turnaround sample rooms (oh and I had an Aperol or 2!). Italy is battling competition from overseas for sure but the interest is still there in Italian production and the quality speaks for itself.

Tell me in the comments, what is your experience with Italian production?

27/04/2024

It's the little things in the tech pack and the fitting process that start to come together and then you can see how it all fits together like a jigsaw puzzle.

High point shoulder gives you one immovable point to base your other design and fit decisions around.

It anchors your design decisions, allowing you to build upon a stable foundation.

It ensures consistency and precision.

Follow me for more tips to build your knitwear the right way ...

18/09/2023

What’s so great about a tuck stitch anyway? It can look super fancy when it's really not and it can make a cooler yarn feel warmer because all those strands of yarn will trap more hot air close to the skin...

It’s good for:
Adding bulk or warmth
It can look fancy when it’s actually easy to knit on the machine (so machine cost goes down)
It’s bad for:
Adds width and weight to the fabric as each stitch as x2 the amount of yarn in it
So the weight (and therefore the price goes up

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Bordeaux

Site Web

https://www.thecashmeredesigner.com/

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