Founded by designer Sophie Poelman on Waiheke Island, Lof explores the potential of locally available, abundant materials, for more regenerative interior environments. After years working internationally with design brands and pursuing a love of snowboarding across Europe and North America, Sophie returned home to Aotearoa to build a slower, more intentional practice. In 2020, she became aware of the challenges facing the strong-wool industry, with low grower returns, an undervalued fibre, and the rise of synthetic waste, and began exploring how design could help shift that story. That search led her to Palliser Ridge, a Savory Institute certified regenerative farm in the South Wairarapa, which remains Lof's primary wool source today. Collaborating with her partner in life and in work Alain Brideson, an industrial designer, the pair began experimenting with wool’s structural and acoustic potential. Supported by New Zealand government R&D funding, their research led to the development of Lof’s first series, a knitted, acoustic-dampening pendant light, launched in 2024 after five years of exploration.
“Wool is the ultimate fibre! Why else would I pivot my entire career to working with this one material? I started Lof because I believe New Zealand wool deserves to be seen differently: as a beautiful, high-performing textile for interior spaces that perfectly fits within the circular product lifecycle. Through design, we can bring new value to this remarkable local resource, creating with the future in mind.”
— Sophie Poelman, Lof Founder & Designer. 
Lof is led by the partnership of textile designer Sophie Poelman (BDes Textiles) and Industrial designer Alain Brideson (BDes Industrial, MDes Transportation), whose complementary backgrounds unite material sensitivity with technical basis. Sophie’s background in functional apparel and textiles informs Lof’s creative direction and material research, reimagining wool as a high-performance material for contemporary interiors. Alain brings precision and a sculptural approach to form, drawing on experience in transportation and product design to translate experimentation into refined, manufacturable designs. Their shared practice balances craft and innovation, merging poetic material expression with design discipline to create pieces that are both functional and quietly expressive.
The meaning of Lof
Lof comes from an old word meaning praise or glory, and could also refer to a song of praise or a hymn. In Dutch, it is still used today: in lof van wol, meaning “in praise of wool”, although it is not commonly used anymore. The Dutch connection is personal, too. Founder Sophie Poelman’s family roots trace back to the Frisian region around Sneek on her father’s side, and to Amsterdam on her mother’s side, where Sophie also lived throughout her twenties. The name was chosen not only for its origins, but for how it feels. Soft, like wool. It sounds and feels soft to say. Lofty, like light and air. Familiar yet elevated, a little cosy. Confident, minimal, to the point and never flowery.