A recent article about a New Zealand bed company shedding glass fibre particles highlighted the critical importance of choosing the right materials and ensuring transparency in our supply chains. This issue reinforces the need for thoughtful, sustainable design that prioritizes safety and health. Natural materials like wool can offer fire resistance without the toxic treatments associated with synthetics, providing a safer option for homes. As designers and consumers, we must ask the right questions, advocate for better materials, and ensure that the products we create and buy are not only functional but also responsible.

Lof was recently featured in Stuff’s Small Business Project, sharing our journey, the power of New Zealand wool, and our vision for a more sustainable future. In the article, we discuss how our mission is to create a radically regenerative business that challenges the broken textile system and highlights the potential of local wool to replace harmful synthetics. We’re grateful to Miriam Bell for exploring the kaupapa of Lof and diving into the role of design in driving sustainability. Read the full article to learn more about our purpose and goals.

Discover the science behind our Wool Hoop lights! Designed not only for beauty but also for acoustic performance, our lights actively reduce sound reverberation, creating a more balanced and relaxing atmosphere in any space. After extensive testing with the University of Auckland’s mechanical engineering team, we’re excited to share how our Wool Hoop absorbs up to 100% of sound energy at key frequencies. Perfect for homes, offices, and hospitality spaces, the Wool Hoop brings both aesthetic and functional value to your interiors.

"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." 

Thanks for the lovely write up HERE!

Lof founder Sophie Poelman had a chat with Annette Scott from Farmer’s weekly recently, where we discussed Lof’s mission to elevate the value of New Zealand wool through thoughtful design. Check out the article to learn more about our journey and how wool can transform interiors while building a regenerative future for Aotearoa.

Lof founder Sophie Poelman on the Function and Wellness Benefits of Wool. From her studio on Waiheke Island, Lof Founder Sophie Poelman is ready to embrace a new challenge. Sophie Poelman is here to revive New Zealand’s wool industry, in ways you may not expect. Since returning home after years of working as a functional apparel designer for mountain sports, she found a gap in the market in the homewares space, as well as a need to add value to the material. 

A interview with AGMARDT and our founder Sophie Poelman : Meet the future-focused textile designer who’s on a mission to create acoustic interior products with NZ strong wool. If you ask textile designer Sophie Poelman what her superpower is, she’ll tell you: “I think of crazy things!”. It’s that kind of thinking, that risk-taking spirit, and the ability to ask, “why not?” that led her to thinking more about wool, specifically strong wool.

Sophie Poelman has been devoted to designing with wool for the past two years in a bid to help turn around the declining fortunes of some New Zea­land wool farmers, but before this, she was circling the world as a functional sportswear designer and living the snowboarder's dream. She talks about her experiences from a job at an Amsterdam bagel shop to thriving as a designer for European brands, and her return to where she first started and where her creative seeds were sown, on Waiheke Island, where her family has lived since 1987.

In early January I traveled to Pirinoa, in the Wairarapa, to visit our farm partner Palliser Ridge for one of their twice-yearly shears. It is fundamental for me to meet everyone that works along the value chain, especially at a farm level. I want to take away the anonymity that accompanies so many wool brokering transactions and make it personal again between farmer and designer.