One Sheep for a Lifetime

The message of the project

Sheep were constant and important companions throughout human history. Though in modern societies they have lost a lot of appreciation. In fact a great amount of the sheep’s wool in Europe goes to waste while the production of polyester fibres is anticipated to triple until 2050.

The project is about enabling more caring and cherishing relationships to the materials we wear, while connecting with the beings we get them from. Valuing sheep’s wool as a resource can be pleasant and rewarding, and it will help us to put less pressure on the planet and our ecosystems.

Coming from design research and knitting engineering the project partners have joined forces to develop this idea towards a more considerate approach to the fabrication and use cycle in the fashion industry.

The idea behind the project

What would you do if you had only 1 kg of sheep’s wool per year available for your clothing?

There are 8 billion people on our planet. And there are one billion sheep. Imagine there would be no other resources spent on our clothing, except for the wool of those sheep. No more land to be degraded by the cultivation of cotton and no more oil to be used for polyester production.

This simple thought experiment of radical limitation leaves us with 1 kg of wool to start with. The platform One Sheep for a Lifetime helps to give purpose to the precious material that can be made from the sheep’s wool: yarn!

The central tool on the platform, the so-called Sheep’s Wool Simulator will allow users to simulate the potential garment possibilities with only 1000 grams of sheep’s wool. Users can still be creative in personal expression while using only this limited amount of material for their desired pieces. A specific amount of sheep’s wool becomes the basis for the creative process: Design follows resource!

Long term the platform in development will provide a community space to connect, share and collaborate. A sheep’s wool cooperative could be a meaningful form to facilitate this network of stakeholders along the sheep’s wool to garment supply chain. The software application should help engage many people in becoming a part of it.

How does the project contribute to the New European Bauhaus Initiative?

A lot of sheep’s wool goes to waste because local processing facilities are widely missing. By promoting the amazing properties of sheep’s wool the project aims to raise appreciation for the material and the work of the stakeholders involved in turning it into clothing. The services on the platform promote slow fashion as something playful and full of possibility. They inspire more sustainable and resource saving production standards that will lead to less environmental pollution and help users to avoid waste. The platform concept could become a stepping stone for local business concepts to accommodate this circular process in quite every shopping district. A local service point and community space to try on the latest collections, exchange about the best way to treat sheep wool or gather for a defuzzing session.