Collecting Undercoat
A Decentralised Approach
Across homes, grooming salons and breed communities, undercoat is produced every day — routinely, unintentionally and without value attached to it. Our role is simply to connect these existing moments into a decentralised network, transforming individual acts of care into a shared material ecosystem.
Each contribution becomes part of a larger whole — one rooted in trust, transparency and shared responsibility.
How to Collect
Participation is intentionally uncomplicated.
Brush your dog as you normally would.
Save the brushed-out undercoat in a cardboard box - nothing special is required.
Once you’ve collected at least 500 grams of undercoat (to minimise unnecessary shipments and remain mindful of our environmental footprint), reach out to us via email or social media, and we’ll send you a pre-paid shipping label. We’ll notify you when it arrives safely.
Fibre Guidelines
To ensure quality and performance, we currently accept brushed-out undercoat from double-coated breeds only — such as Huskies, Shepherds and Retrievers.
Clippings and shavings (including those from Poodles and Doodles) are not suitable for yarn production. Unlike brushed fibre, clipped hair is cut rather than naturally shed. Each individual fibre is left with blunt ends instead of its original tapered tip. What feels like softness on the surface is often a previously cut section that has grown out, while the newly cut end remains sharp. When spun, these blunt ends create a yarn that feels prickly rather than smooth. In addition, clipped hair lacks sufficient surface grip. The fibres struggle to bind together properly, resulting in poor cohesion and a weaker, lower-quality yarn.
Dogs do not need to be freshly bathed prior to collection. All undercoat is thoroughly washed and processed at the mill using industry-standard procedures.
Likewise, the use of topical parasiticides is not an issue. Sheep’s wool and cashmere are treated in very similar ways before processing and the same rigorous standards apply here.
The Collection Tracker
What is it and its purpose?
The Chiora Collection Tracker is a live record of all the brushed-out undercoat sent to us by our community. Each parcel is carefully weighed upon arrival and added to the total in real time, allowing you to see exactly how much material has been collected and how close we are to our next production milestone.
It’s a simple system, but an important one. What might feel small when gathered at home becomes meaningful when combined with others. The tracker makes that accumulation visible — turning individual acts of care into measurable progress.
As the numbers grow, so does the reminder that change can begin with everyday materials and everyday people. We invite you to follow along, watch the total rise, and be part of what it becomes.