Founded by designer Sophie Poelman on Waiheke Island, Lof explores the potential of sustainable materials — beginning with New Zealand strong wool — to create healthier, more connected interior spaces. 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 — low grower returns, undervalued fibre, and the rise of synthetic waste — and began exploring how design could help shift that story. Collaborating with her partner Alain Brideson, an industrial designer known for his refined and sculptural approach to form and function, 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.