Perfect for Ewe: Solidwool develops fiberglass from sheep fleece

In the UK, a chair made out of a fleece-based fiberglass alternative has been shortlisted for the furniture design award from design publication dezeen.

Made by Solidwool, the Welsh Mountain Hembury Chair is made from a wool and biobased resin mixture. The breed the wool came from—Welsh Mountain sheep—is bred for meat, not fleece, since its coat is coarse and difficult to spin and dye. Usually, the fleece is thrown away.

“[Welsh Mountain fleeces] are plentiful, yet there is little demand for this coarse, robust and wiry wool,” Andy Gaurd, creative director of Solidwool, told Dezeen. “[The breed is] native to the UK, so it is important to keep these sheep and their shepherds in the landscapes they belong.”