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Chiengora

Ongoing project.

I discovered dog hair makes for an excellent raw material to make wool from.

01/2019 - present

The textile industry is, for many reasons, one of the most damaging industries in the world. For instance, the biggest producers of wool are China, New-Zealand and Australia. All of that wool has to be imported and transported all across the globe to reach consumers.

One way of minimizing the impact of production is to start using more local sources for the products we produce.

I found out that dog hair is a really good alternative to sheep wool. You can spin and knit it, and it is warmer and softer than sheep wool. I started to collect the hair from my own dog and learned how to spin it into yarn and knit it.

There are about 2.2 million dogs in The Netherlands and most of them shed. That's a lot of sweaters.

By doing this project I wanted to open up the perspective on dog hair. Most people find it gross and throw it out, but that actually doesn't make any sense.

Would you rather wear a sweater made from dutch dogs or a Chinese sheep you have never met?