It was full circle moment for FMG when it set about procuring Lof lighting for its Hastings and Christchurch office fit outs. Lof, a Kiwi based lighting design company, uses wool sourced from FMG clients Palliser Ridge in the South Wairarapa. As Lof’s sole wool supplier, FMG can be wholly confident that its own client’s wool now hangs in the form of numerous light fittings in two of its offices.
The project began when FMG’s architects approached Lof looking for wool samples for FMG's new office fitouts.
"When the architects explained the project and mentioned FMG, it immediately resonated with us," says Lof founder and creative director Sophie Poelman.
Working closely with the architects, Sophie developed bespoke lighting concepts tailored to the character and function of each office.
The true journey of Lof begun well before FMG went shopping though. Over five years, Sophie and her team worked alongside knitting specialists, designers, and manufacturing partners to develop a yarn and knitted textile specifically designed for lighting.
Today, the wool is sourced from Palliser Ridge before being scoured in Hawke's Bay, carded in Wellington and knitted in Auckland. From there, it travels to Lof's Waiheke Island studio, where the final pieces are carefully assembled by hand.
"We wanted something that was beautiful in its own right," Sophie says.
“And we have created a distinctive wool material that is just as striking when switched off as it is when illuminated”.
The innovation extends beyond appearance though with research conducted with the University of Auckland finding that the wool lights can also help soften sound within interior environments. As clusters of lights are added to a space, their acoustic dampening properties help reduce sound reverberation in open-plan settings.
Those benefits made the products particularly well suited to FMG's office environments, where collaboration spaces and meeting areas can often become quite noisy.
For FMG Sustainability Specialist Emma Rowe, this is exactly the type of innovation and collaboration that FMG likes to see.
"We were absolutely delighted to be able to support the hard work Sophie and the team at Lof have put into developing an additional use for strong wool" she says.
"It's also a great conversation starter for our people and visitors. These fittings aren't just lights, they're telling a story about New Zealand Aotearoa wool, sustainable design and businesses working together to create something special”.
