STINARAND Crafts a New Narrative for Swedish Wool at Stockholm Fashion Week

In an unexpected collaboration between avant-garde fashion and sustainable innovation, Swedish design talent Stina Randestad unveils one-of-a-kind showpiece creations made entirely from Swedish wool at Space By: Stockholm Fashion Week in June. The pieces are part of The Swedish Wool Initiative – a cross-industry project led by Axfoundation and Dalarna Science Park aiming to end the waste of this precious material, more than half of which is currently left unused.

“Swedish wool is such a high-quality material and a delight for me as a designer to work with. It makes the creation process rewarding – knitting, dying, draping, cleaning and eventually preserving for a long time to come. Knowing that the wool comes from our own sheep here in Sweden adds another dimension to the process, especially since this valuable material previously has been discarded,” says Stina Randestad, founder of STINARAND.

Randestad’s sculptural designs stand at the intersection of artistic fashion, craft and innovation. She is known internationally for her distinctive aesthetic – with highlights including creating a piece for Björk and being selected as a semi-finalist for the LVMH Prize. This debut wool project features garments made from yarn spun with pure Swedish wool provided by Klippan Yllefabrik, along with fabric from the furniture company VERK. The materials reflect a diverse blend of breeds, including Swedish Finewool sheep and Dorset crosses, with details from Rya sheep hides also included in one outfit.

The development process was partly realized at Toolspace – a space for hardware design and innovation in Stockholm – where Stina experimented with Kniterate, an advanced digital knitting machine, to explore the full potential of various wool qualities, including fibers typically overlooked in luxury fashion.

Towards Zero Waste of Swedish Wool

Each year, Sweden imports over 1,700 tons of wool while more than half of its local production goes unused. The Swedish Wool Initiative aims to change that, turning a previously wasted resource into a circular opportunity for fashion, interiors, and industry. By partnering with farmers, wool brokers, designers and brands, the initiative works toward zero waste of Swedish wool.

“Fashion’s future depends on bold new material stories – and Swedish wool holds incredible, untapped potential. Through the Swedish Wool Initiative, we’re teaming up with designers across industries, from fashion to furniture, with one clear goal: ensuring no Swedish wool goes to waste,” says Johan Sidenmark, Project Manager for Future Materials at Axfoundation.

Since the initiative’s launch in 2020, partners have created a wide range of products using Swedish wool – from soft knitwear and felted backpack padding, to tailored suits, cozy throws, durable upholstery fabrics, and now experimental fashion.

“Transforming something overlooked into something lasting and beautiful is incredibly fulfilling. I hope that my artistic fashion pieces can inspire to use Swedish wool, which is a gold mine just around the corner,” says Stina Randestad.

On Display at Space By: STHLMFW

Stina Randestad’s pieces will be exhibited at the Nationalmuseum from June 3–8, 2025, as part of Space By, an initiative by CVU for Stockholm Fashion Week for emerging designers, cultural pioneers, and fresh ideas. Separate talks featuring Stina Randestad and Amsterdam-based fashion and lifestyle brand Daily Paper will also be held there on June 5th. After their premiere, the garments will be showcased at Torsåker Farm, Axfoundation’s development center for sustainable solutions.

The creation of the garments by STINARAND has been made possible with support from the Swedish Handicraft Council. The Swedish Wool Initiative is partially financed by Vinnova and Region Dalarna.

About:

Stina Randestad / STINARAND is a Swedish fashion designer known for her innovative, sculptural creations that seamlessly blend artistry with sustainability. Through her design studio, STINARAND, she takes a research-driven approach to exploring materials and techniques, resulting in work that is both experimental and wearable. Rich textures in her designs often produces optical illusions or enhances the movement of the body. Randestad’s contributions to fashion were recognized in 2023 when she was selected as a semifinalist for the prestigious LVMH Prize. Her garments have been worn by artists such as Björk and Tierra Whack, and her iconic “hairy dress” was featured in Beyoncé’s visual album Black Is King. @stinarand 

Axfoundation is an independent, non-profit organization working practically towards building a sustainable society. Believing strongly in business as a driving force for change, Axfoundation develops concrete solutions within future food and future materials. Together with over 300 partners, Axfoundation tackles local and global sustainability challenges related to the things we buy, the food we eat, and the resources we use. At Torsåker Farm, Axfoundation’s test farm and a practical development center for future food and materials, actors across sectors and industries come together for knowledge exchange and engage in practical innovations. www.axfoundation.se/en

Facts:

Three Things to Love About Swedish Wool

1. Wool is breathable, beautiful — and biodegradable: Unlike synthetic materials, wool is breathable, naturally odor-resistant, and biodegradable.
2. Wearing wool supports local makers and slow fashion: Choosing Swedish wool means investing in craftsmanship, animal welfare, and a future where fashion values quality over quantity.
3. Wool is naturally antibacterial, dirt-repellent, and flame-resistant: Thanks to these unique properties, there’s no need to add chemicals like PFAS or biocides — commonly used in other materials to achieve similar effects.

How to Work with Swedish Wool

• Design Guide for Swedish Wool: A comprehensive handbook for designers exploring Swedish wool, including fiber characteristics, design techniques, and best practices for integrating local wool in a sustainable and circular way.
  Download the guide.
• Swedish Wool Standard: A classification system developed by The Swedish Wool Initiative that helps designers and brands understand and specify wool quality grades — making it easier to source the right type of Swedish wool for various product needs, from fashion to interiors.
  Download the standard.
• Toolspace Stockholm: A space for hardware design and innovation, offering access to advanced prototyping tools like the Kniterate knitting machine. Toolspace empowers designers in need of rapid prototyping to experiment with sustainable materials and develop new textile concepts quickly and creatively.
  www.toolspace.se

Three Key Insights for Designers about Swedish Wool

• Versatile fiber qualities: Swedish wool comes from a variety of breeds, offering diverse textures — from soft and silky to robust — ideal for everything from fashion to technical textiles.
• Naturally sustainable: Wool is a renewable, biodegradable resource. Choosing local Swedish wool reduces transportation emissions and supports regional biodiversity.
• Circular potential: Properly processed, Swedish wool can replace synthetic materials across industries, contributing to a future where waste is minimized.

Contact:

Linda Andersson, Director of Communications, Axfoundation
, +46 (0)73 – 087 15 70

Stina Randestad, Founder and Creative Director, STINARAND
, +46 (0) – 702 74 52 17

Johan Sidenmark, Project Manager for Future Materials, Axfoundation
, +46 (0)76-140 91 20