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Hannah and Justin Floyd on wool (and the new material they've created from it).
Manage episode 340991009 series 2481115
Hannah and Justin Floyd are the creators of an intriguing material, called SolidWool. The composite is made up of wool, which is used as the reinforcement, and bio-resin that acts as a binder.
The wool itself comes from the Herdwick sheep found in the Lake District that was once a staple of the carpet industry but which has recently fallen out of vogue. According to the Floyds, some farmers have taken to burning fleeces because they were fetching next to nothing on the open market. So instead, they set about finding a new use for something increasingly considered as waste and imbuing it with value.
The finished result is beautifully smooth and probably best compared to fibreglass. When Grant first came across the duo at a show in Milan almost a decade ago, they were displaying a range of items made from the material, including: knives, sunglasses, a table and, perhaps most importantly, the extremely elegant Hembury Chair.
After a serious health scare, the pair sold their company to Roger Oates Design in 2020. It put a new version of the Hembury back into production, with Justin staying on as a consultant.
In this episode we talk about: how SolidWool is made; the importance of beauty; issues with Herdwick wool; taking inspiration from where they lived; the desire to produce ‘products with purpose’; the importance of play; why designers love chairs; working together; overcoming cancer; selling the company; and Justin’s unfinished business with SolidWool.
And a reminder that to visit Material Matters 2022, which runs at Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf from 22-25 September you need to register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/material-matters-2022-tickets-373171364597
130 episodes
Manage episode 340991009 series 2481115
Hannah and Justin Floyd are the creators of an intriguing material, called SolidWool. The composite is made up of wool, which is used as the reinforcement, and bio-resin that acts as a binder.
The wool itself comes from the Herdwick sheep found in the Lake District that was once a staple of the carpet industry but which has recently fallen out of vogue. According to the Floyds, some farmers have taken to burning fleeces because they were fetching next to nothing on the open market. So instead, they set about finding a new use for something increasingly considered as waste and imbuing it with value.
The finished result is beautifully smooth and probably best compared to fibreglass. When Grant first came across the duo at a show in Milan almost a decade ago, they were displaying a range of items made from the material, including: knives, sunglasses, a table and, perhaps most importantly, the extremely elegant Hembury Chair.
After a serious health scare, the pair sold their company to Roger Oates Design in 2020. It put a new version of the Hembury back into production, with Justin staying on as a consultant.
In this episode we talk about: how SolidWool is made; the importance of beauty; issues with Herdwick wool; taking inspiration from where they lived; the desire to produce ‘products with purpose’; the importance of play; why designers love chairs; working together; overcoming cancer; selling the company; and Justin’s unfinished business with SolidWool.
And a reminder that to visit Material Matters 2022, which runs at Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf from 22-25 September you need to register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/material-matters-2022-tickets-373171364597
130 episodes
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1 Neil Brownsword on clay and safeguarding skill. 58:49

1 Zandra Rhodes on pattern, colour, and textiles. 50:27

1 Aaron Betsky on why architects should stop building (and reuse instead). 57:28

1 Nicole Rycroft on viscose and her mission to save the world's endangered forests. 59:11


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1 Bharti Kher on material alchemy and her fascination with bindis. 1:02:32


1 Ernest Scheyder on lithium, mining, and the politics behind going green. 52:36


1 Human Nature's Jonathan Smales on mining the Anthropocene, and building in timber and Hempcrete at The Phoenix. 1:06:23

1 Bert Frank's Adam Yeats on manufacturing in post-Brexit Britain. 40:07

1 Ptolemy Mann on colour, weaving, and painting. 57:48

1 Fairphone's Bas van Abel on repair, longevity, and conflict minerals. 1:01:15

1 John Tuomey on his childhood in rural Ireland, becoming an architect, and his beautiful memoir, First Quarter. 55:47

1 Sara Grady and Alice Robinson on making ethical leather. 55:47

1 Florian Gadsby on clay and becoming a potter. 58:13

1 Christien Meindertsma on wool (and linoleum). 51:23

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1 Caroline Till on material futures, regenerative design, and lots more. 59:03

1 Tom Lloyd and Luke Pearson on how materials have changed their practice. 1:05:00

1 Goldfinger’s Marie Carlisle on an extraordinary social enterprise that's centred around wood. 48:33

1 Michael Marriott on resourceful design and his fascination with materials. 58:54


1 Beatie Wolfe on making music material again and the power of art. 1:11:30

1 Ndidi Ekubia on silver and her extraordinary, liquid-like vessels. 50:41

1 Ercol chairman, Henry Tadros, on elm, beech, ash and keeping his company relevant. 47:00

1 Donna Wilson on knitting, becoming a brand, and creating her extraordinary creatures. 51:02

1 Julian Stair on pots, death, and using cremated ashes in his work. 54:24

1 Paul Cocksedge on coal, metal, light, concrete and much more besides. 53:18

1 Ineke Hans on designing for the circular economy. 49:39

1 Darren Appiagyei on turning Banksia nuts and waste wood. 37:02

1 Summer Islam on building with biomaterials. 55:07

1 Keith Brymer Jones on his life in clay and TV stardom. 48:05

1 Peter Apps on Aluminium Composite Material and the Grenfell Tower fire. 55:21

1 Smile Plastics’ Rosalie McMillan and Adam Fairweather on recycling plastic and reviving a company. 57:12

1 Aric Chen on design and energy, giving microbes agency, and lots more. 43:40
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