About WOOL REVOLUTION STUDIO

DESIGNING A NEW FUTURE FOR NEW ZEALAND WOOL.

Farm Fleece Fashion Future

Reimagining wool through design, education and making.

Wool Revolution Studio is a New Zealand textile and design practice led by internationally recognised fashion designer Liz Mitchell MNZM. We believe we can design a new future for New Zealand wool and for the planet.

Working with strong wool, natural fibres and reclaimed textiles, we explore new possibilities for sustainable design through creative workshops, material innovation, community engagement and the transformational processes of felting and weaving. Our work creates contemporary designs that transform spaces and lives.

New Zealand strong wool is one of the world's most extraordinary fibres. Regenerative, recyclable, non-allergenic, temperature regulating, sound and moisture-absorbing, flame-resistant, durable and biodegradable. It is a natural resource of remarkable potential. Yet it has been largely forgotten, replaced by synthetic fibres and plastics that pollute our world. We are on a mission to change that.

We believe every industry and every person within it has a responsibility to work towards a healthier planet. Replacing synthetics with wool and natural fibres is part of the solution. Wool Revolution Studio, we're doing exactly that, through craft, design and collaboration across the full value chain.

Grounded in craftsmanship and circular thinking, we bring together fashion, education, textile practice and environmental awareness, reconnecting people with the value and potential of natural fibre.

The studio operates across two vibrant Auckland locations. At Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson, one of Aotearoa's largest thriving arts centres, we established our first studio in 2023, connecting and extending a community of wool felting artists, students, designers and researchers, and exploring the potential of wool product design in homes and architectural spaces. We also host a textile book library. In 2026, we expanded to the Tāmaki Zero Waste Hub in Glen Innes, East Auckland. A community-led space dedicated to resource recovery and creative transformation, where we deliver hands-on workshops focused on repair, reuse and creative upcycling.

Established through the support of AGMARDT, PledgeMe crowdfunding, the Coralus community and our generous sponsors, we have equipped our studio with textile development machinery, educational resources and crafting materials, supporting a growing network of wool artists, students, designers, researchers and creatives.

We are looking to make our resources available to our community to widen the appreciation and awareness of wool, to increase its value in our everyday lives.

The Future is wool

Wool Revolution Studio believes New Zealand strong wool has an important role to play in the future of sustainable materials, design and making. Through workshops, collaborations and material exploration, we encourage new conversations around wool as a renewable, biodegradable and versatile natural fibre.

This video, filmed by the exceptional Benjamin Cutore, offers a glimpse of what students experience as part of the Campaign for Wool NZ Wool Dynamics programme — a pilot tertiary education initiative designed to inspire future generations with seasoned advice from well-established innovators across wool, business and design.

Our thanks to Terra Lana Products Ltd., Lanaco, T&R Interior Systems, Blythe Rees-Jones, Liz Mitchell MNZM and Barron Surfboards for contributing to these videos, and for being continuous wool advocates every day.

Meet the Founder

About Liz Mitchell MNZM

Liz Mitchell MNZM is one of New Zealand's leading fashion designers, known for her work in bespoke tailoring, workwear and textile design.

For decades, Liz has championed craftsmanship, natural fibres and thoughtful design through her Auckland atelier and wider creative practice. Her work increasingly focuses on the future potential of wool and circular textile systems, bridges fashion, sustainability, innovation and education.

As a Campaign for Wool New Zealand Ambassador since 2018, Liz continues to advocate for the value of New Zealand's strong wool both locally and internationally.

“ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF TODAY’S WOOL INDUSTRY STARTS WITH COMMUNITY; SHARING WHAT KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES WE HAVE, AND PROMOTING WHAT THIS NATURAL FIBRE CAN DO FOR PEOPLE AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT."

Liz Mitchell MNZM

Campaign for wool New Zealand

Wool Revolution Studio proudly supports Campaign for Wool New Zealand — Aotearoa's chapter of the global movement initiated in 2010 by the former Prince of Wales, which works to raise awareness of wool as a natural, renewable and sustainable fibre.

Liz Mitchell MNZM has served as a Campaign for Wool Ambassador since 2018, championing New Zealand's strong wool for its unique, enduring qualities. Backed by science and led by the community, Campaign for Wool promotes the functionality and technical performance of wool fibre, and its wider benefits for our planet's delicate ecosystem.

We believe the relationship between wool and design in New Zealand can be one of circularity, creative craftsmanship and human connection.

Visit Campaign for Wool New Zealand

Meet Out Tutors

Liz Mitchell MNZM

Liz Mitchell MNZM is New Zealand’s leading bespoke fashion designer. Her love of wool has extended from fashion into the development of homewares using New Zealand strong wool. Felting is the oldest textile-making technique in the world, utilising just wool, soap, and water. As a strong advocate for sustainability and NZ strong wool, Liz has been exploring the processes of both wet felting and needle felting, using wool as her medium. 
The passion Liz has for the different ways in which wool could be utilised has seen her create beautiful items that are approachable for everyday use. This includes a collection of pet pods and vessels, rugs, wall hangings, lightshades and living fleeces.
Founder

ANDRINA EYLES

Wool has always been a part of my life, from jumpers, hats, scarves, blankets, duvet inners & pillows to sheepskin rugs.  Recently, I was gifted several fleeces to work with, and I had no idea what to do with them until I found the ancient art of peg looming, which dates back to before the Vikings.  When sticks were used for the loom and twine for the warp to weave raw fleece, for blankets, mats, saddle rugs, etc. this technique caught my interest.  It seemed the perfect match!  After completing many rugs that are now out in the world, I am delighted to be able to share what I have learnt by trial and error with those who are also interested or excited at the prospect of using fleece to insulate your home with wall hangings and rugs, provide luxury to sit on for you, and your pets

TERI BERRY

SARAH RITCHIE

Fibre artistry, created from nature.
Drawing inspiration from the breathtaking beauty of Aotearoa New Zealand, my home, I am an artist who creates unique framed works using natural fibres such as wool and bamboo.
As an advocate for sustainable art practices and non-toxic creativity, I turned to these materials after the toxicity of traditional acrylic and oil paints started affecting my health.
Working with a natural medium brings me immense joy. I love experimenting with blending fibres to create unique effects and colours that defy ordinary paint.
Over the years, I have explored a variety of mediums from ceramics to wicker sculpture, but my enduring love is the magical and amazingly versatile world of wool felt. 
For me, using natural materials, in particular wool fibre, is a cathartic experience. Using millennia-old techniques provides a connection to the past and simpler ways of living, while finding new ways of using these ancient materials and pushing the boundaries of what can be made with wool and other materials provides stimulation for the technical side of my brain. 
Felt-making is good for the soul on so many different levels!

Supported by

  • AGMARDT

    The Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust funds individuals and organisations to innovate and lead across New Zealand's agricultural sectors. An AGMARDT grant enabled Wool Revolution Studio to invest in wet-felting and needle-felting machinery — the foundation of our Textile Hub at Corban Estate Arts Centre. 

    Visit AGMARDT

  • Coralus

    Coralus is a community of radically generous women and non-binary entrepreneurs supporting one another's businesses toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Liz Mitchell MNZM joined as a Coralus Venture in 2023, gaining access to networks and resources that helped shape a studio where regenerative culture and planetary health sit at the heart of art and design. 

    Visit Coralus

  • CAMPAIGN FOR WOOL NEW ZEALAND

    Aotearoa's chapter of the global Campaign for Wool movement works to raise awareness of wool as a natural, renewable and sustainable fibre. Wool Revolution Studio is proud to be part of this community. 

    Visit Campaign for Wool NZ

  • PledgeMe

    In 2023, Liz launched a PledgeMe campaign to bring the Wool Revolution Studio to life. The funds pledged by our generous community helped secure the textile machinery, materials and resources that keep us researching, crafting and educating. Limited edition signed sheep portrait prints, kindly donated by artist Anne Noble ONZM, were offered as rewards to our supporters. 

    View the campaign

  • CORBAN ESTATE ART CENTRE

    Home to the Wool Revolution Studio, Corban Estate Art Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland is a creative hub that has provided the space and community for our Textile Hub to grow. 

    Visit Corban Estate

  • TĀMAKI ZERO WASTE HUB

    Wool Revolution Studio is a tenant at the Tāmaki Zero Waste Hub in Glen Innes, East Auckland, a community recycling centre owned by Zero Waste Aotearoa, where all profits support community-led resource recovery and systemic change toward a zero-waste future. From this base, Wool Revolution Studio delivers hands-on workshops in repair, reuse and creative upcycling, and provides community access to needle felting machines, bringing textile transformation to the heart of the circular economy. 

    Visit Tāmaki Zero Waste Hub

  • Liz Mitchell MNZM

    Wool Revolution Studio was founded by Liz Mitchell MNZM, one of New Zealand's leading fashion designers, whose practice is grounded in bespoke tailoring, workwear and a lifelong love of natural fibre. Liz's vision and advocacy sit at the heart of everything the Studio does. 

    Visit Liz Mitchell

  • Auckland Airport Community Trust

    We are grateful to the Auckland Airport Community Trust for their generous support of our community workshops. Through their grants programme, which has backed South Auckland communities since 2003, we were able to offer free Silent Skies workshops throughout 2024, bringing people together to learn, create, and reconnect with natural fibres.
    Visit Auckland Airport Community Trust