From Waste to Wonder: How Solidwool Is Reimagining Wool for Design

Imagine you were looking at a new piece of furniture – say, a boardroom chair. It has the usual steel legs, and the seat and back appear to be made of some sort of tough, high-quality plastic or perhaps fibreglass. What would you say if someone told you that the seat you are about to sit on is actually made of wool? It may seem surprising at first, but it is true. This is the innovative reimagining of waste wool and fibreglass known as Solidwool, as International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) reports.

What is Solidwool?

Solidwool is a UK-designed and manufactured innovation created by Justin and Hannah Floyd, drawing from the idea of generating something beautiful and useful with a direct link to nature, of finding new uses for wool that might otherwise go to waste, of taking something soft and bringing out its inherent strength and hardiness. Solidwool is a unique composite material made on the same principles as fibreglass: pure British wool is bound together with bio-resin to form a hard, tough, beautiful material that can be used to make a variety of products.

The Floyds took Welsh Mountain and Herdwick fleeces – generally too coarse and wiry for use in the clothing industries – and bound them together with bio-resin. Once the resin set, they had a hard, plastic-like material – a bio-friendly alternative to the plastics and fibreglass used for similar purposes. Since 2020, Solidwool has been engineered under the aegis of Roger Oates Design, resulting in the Hembury chair, as well as commercially available sheet material that can be used for a variety of design purposes.

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Solidwool Launches “Full Circle”

Among the latest projects created with Solidwool is a limited run (only 100 pieces) of side tables. Created by Roger Oates Design, the tables are made from Solidwool, as well as a combination of waste wool fibres used in the creation of woven flatweave and tufted rugs. Each table has unique, organic markings, rich in deep reds, browns and neutral wool tones. These side tables are a perfect complement to Solidwool’s signature Hembury chairs.

The Welsh Mountain and Herdwick sheep breeds are both plentiful, producing tons of wool each year. However, there is very little demand for the wool they produce, which is known for its coarseness. Solidwool has found a way to put these fibres to good use, ensure that wool doesn’t go to waste, and prove yet again that beautiful, functional design can always go together with sustainability.

Learn More About the World’s Leading Woollen Apparel Producers on IWTO’s Website

For more information on the wool industry around the world, take a look at our fact sheets, statistics and guidelines, or visit our website.

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