Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, Lucy Downes studied at Trinity College in Dublin where she received a BA in Economics and Business. She then went on to major in Fashion Design at NCAD (National College of Art and Design), in Dublin, where she received a First Class Honors Degree. While there she was honored with 'Young Designer of the Year' at the Satzenbrau Awards in 1992. Two years later she was awarded the title 'Knitwear Designer of the Year' at the Irish Knitwear Exporters Guild Awards. Prior to launching sphere one in 1999, Lucy worked for Donna Karan in New York, designing for DKNY for 4 years. She studied Computer Aided Design with Shima Seiki, the Japanese manufacturer of the world's most advanced knitting machinery. In the first year of sphere one's business Lucy was honored with the 'Young Entrepreneur of the Year' award for marketing and presentation in 1999 and later the 'Young Dublin Business Woman of the Year' award in 2000. With each season the label is receiving great reviews and editorial coverage and is pushing the boundaries of imaginative and innovative knitwear. Every piece is executed on hand looms and patiently hand stitched and finished thanks to the wonderful expertise of the Nepalese people who produce for sphere one in Kathmandu, Nepal. Lucy has maintained her commitment to buy only THE VERY BEST and finest cashmere from Scottish and Italian mills. This quality and attention to detail has brought delighted customers back again and again. As the collection has gone from strength to strength, sphere one has expanded -now showing in Paris, London, New York and Dublin and happy sphere one customers are to be found from San Francisco to Sydney, wearing sphere one's signature logo- the sleek and subtle circle of hand stitches at the back neck. Lucy currently divides her time between Dublin and New York, where she continues to design for DKNY on a consultancy basis.   .