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Roland Pieter Smit

Photographer: DESIGN ACADEMY EINDHOVEN (RENE VAN DER HULST)

BLANKETS DESIGNED AROUND PEOPLE

With Wolwaeren, a series of seven blankets woven by people with a mental or physical impairment, Roland Pieter Smit designed looms that reflect the psychological and physical needs of the makers. For example autistic people can work at a very refined level with thin yarn, while those with Downs Syndrome need thicker yarn. The yarns are made from Texel wool, once lucrative, now almost worthless. Also by offering the sheep farmers an honest price, Smit reinstates some of the value of the wool. Wolwaeren reintroduces the age-old tradition of using woollen blankets to the Netherlands and processes the wool as close to the source as is possible.