Studio Truly Truly’s latest lighting design for Rakumba, Big Glow, is a bold material experiment fusing innovation and sustainability.
Launched globally at Milan Design Week 2025, Big Glow is a pendant light that transforms the familiar glowing sphere into a tactile object. Powered by a cutting-edge bio-composite made from Australian wool and compostable plant-derived fibre.
Central to the innovation is the use of non-woven wool combined with bioplastic to form a shade that is both compostable and beautifully luminous. Developed in collaboration with Woolmark and produced entirely within Victoria, Australia, the piece makes a powerful case for regenerative material systems in lighting.
“Wool perfectly embodies the warm and comforting quality we were searching for,” says Joel Booy, co-founder of Studio Truly Truly. “The fibres have a soft ecru colour, and the glow of the material is genuinely natural as a result.” This glow is not incidental – it’s the result of intense research and a conscious move toward environmentally viable alternatives to synthetic materials.
From a materials perspective, the project pushes wool into a new design category. Traditionally used in fashion and upholstery, here wool becomes a translucent, textural element, both structural and emotive. John Roberts, Managing Director of Woolmark, notes, “Big Glow exemplifies how natural fibres such as wool can be integrated into modern interiors, reshaping perspectives of long-loved materials while enhancing functionality.”
Australian-born but based in the Netherlands for more than decade, Joel and Kate Booy sought to reconcile their longing for the bright Australian sun with the soft glows of European interiors. “We missed the sun, but also desired the gentle, comforting glow of soft light,” Joel adding, “We wanted to achieve this with a sustainable focus.”
Indeed, the project is as much about storytelling as it is about innovation. “Big Glow isn’t just a beautiful light; it’s a bridge spanning heritage and innovation, nature and design, Australia and the world. It whispers of sun-drenched memories and the embrace of home, no matter where life takes us,” Kate says. That emotional register is embedded in the object’s very structure – its glow, texture and origin all speak to a sense of place.
Functionally, the lamp offers more than ambience. With independently controlled interior glow and directional down illumination, it balances atmosphere with task lighting. Its wool-based body also delivers acoustic absorption, subtly enhancing the sensory quality of interior spaces.
Rakumba, the Melbourne-based lighting manufacturer, has long combined craftsmanship with technical rigour, but Big Glow marks a clear evolution in its sustainability commitments. With materials sourced and assembled locally, including wool grown in Victoria, Australia, the project connects past and future in a tangible way.
Big Glow is a timely and textured response to the environmental and cultural questions facing contemporary design. It’s a soft-spoken design with a deep material story.
Find out more at rakumba.com.au/big-glow
