As the country headed into lockdown in March 2020, every one of Waiheke-based textile designer Sophie Poelman’s clients rang to cancel their projects. “So I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands,” she says. “And I just kept seeing again and again that New Zealand wool prices are less than the price of shearing.”
Some background. While merino wool has made great strides in the past couple of decades, coarse wool – with a micron of over 30 – is a different story. A byproduct of sheep-farming, it currently costs the average North Island farmer $6000 a year to dispose of, thanks to the price of shearing and the negligible value of the wool.
“We’ve got a landfill problem and an overabundance of wool because designers aren’t focussing on it,” says Poelman. “But it’s the only fibre we have at scale – it’s crazy we’re not using it.”
So, through lockdowns, Poelman set out to learn all she could, trialling with 30 kilograms of wool bought from a farm on the island. What she discovered was illuminating. “People say it’s only good for carpet, but strong wool is absolutely beautiful,” she says. “It’s just got a marketing problem.”
Four years on, that problem has led to Lof. The brand is dedicated to designing uses for the wool, starting with Hoop – a range of lighting made from knitted coarse wool, bought from a single farm in South Wairarapa. The five different shades are suitable for almost every room in the house. As well as emitting a beautiful, soft light, they come with air-purifying, anti-microbial and acoustic advantages.
For Poelman, it’s just the beginning. “There are so many places you could use wool where we currently use synthetics or cotton,” she says. “I actually want to cover every surface with wool – it’ll be more healthy, better socially and better for the environment.”
Wool Hoop by Lof
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