Woolfiller

Heleen Klopper is a product designer for whose work sustainability, repair, and tradition are key. She researches the materiality of textiles in relation to the body, as well as the nature of clothing as intermediary between people and their environments.

In the past, holes in woollen garments were darned by hand, whereas nowadays a garment with holes is often discarded. Klopper devised Woolfiller to make clothing repair into a participatory and sustainable practice. Wool felt is a non-woven textile that easily adheres to any open structure. Felt’s uniqueness lies in its ability to attach itself automatically to a surface by means of minute scales, making it ideal for repairing specifically woolen clothing. Using felt to repair a hole creates a new section of fabric, or even a new article of clothing, with endless possibilities of colour and shape. Woolfiller exists in the form of a workshop and as a DIY package consisting of balls of wool in diverse colours, a piece of foam rubber and two felting needles.