"My daughter Rebecca owns and operates Tahuna Holiday homes in Queenstown," Philippa said.
"She wanted to have nothing but the best for her guests including wool-filled pillows. I am a 50 per cent shareholder in The Natural Wool Company LLC in the US. We make and supply wool pillows for hospitality and home. However, the cost of getting those pillows back to New Zealand was just too high."
So not letting a little thing such as manufacturing the pillows herself get in Philippa's way, this savvy businesswoman approached Jomawool to supply their wool-knops and just like that a new business was created.
Philippa pulled some samples from her bag, showing me the difference between normal wool and the crimped wool used in her pillows. The crimped wool is just beautiful — bouncy and soft.
The crimped wool inside The Wright Wool Luxury Pillow. Photo / Supplied
Crimping increases the bulk by 40 to 50 per cent, giving the wool such a beautifully soft feel.
Each pillow has 750gm of wool in a zipped pillow protector.
"You can take some out or add more to suit yourself. They are completely adjustable and easy to mould into your neck or head," Philippa said.
Launched just last week, the pillows have been flying out the door.
Philippa is thrilled. "Wool is coming back and I just love it. It's the most versatile, natural, comforting, beautiful fibre and it's all grown right here in New Zealand.
"It's sustainable and the world is finally taking a genuine interest in it again."
Philippa grew up in the wool industry. Her father was a wool buyer and still works in the industry with her company Wright Wool.
The wool broker, who has been in the industry for 45 years, says when she was younger she dressed to blend.
"I didn't want to stand out as most people growing up in my generation. However, now I look back and am proud of what I have achieved. There's been a lot of negative talk about wool in recent years with poor prices, however, I believe that we as a country need to understand something — we grow the best wool in the world.
"We have a world full of plastic. Did you know that to make synthetic carpet it takes the equivalent of 22000 plastic bags. Not only that but it's also full of chemicals.
"With all eyes on sustainability, what better time to choose wool over synthetic. You can do anything with wool. It's non-allergenic, biodegradable, sustainable, pure, natural. In fact, there's nothing bad about it.
"Growing up we had a woollen blanket at the end of our bed. It wasn't just for warmth, it was also in case of fire to wrap around ourselves because wool is fire resistant.
"At the end of its useful life, wool is able to be returned to the soil where it decomposes quickly and releases valuable nutrients into the ground. In contrast, synthetic fibres are extremely slow to break down and are harmful to the environment.
"It's time to bring back wool and I intend to save the wool industry one pillow at a time," Philippa laughed.
