Michael Schmidt's groundbreaking collection: fashion from the wool of gay sheep

Designer Michael Schmidt, renowned for crafting metallic gowns for superstars like Cher and Doja Cat, has unveiled his latest, most unexpected collection: an entire line woven exclusively from the wool of gay sheep. The project, a collaboration between the global dating app Grindr and a German sheep rescue farm, is an extraordinary fusion of high fashion and animal rights advocacy.

The story begins with the provenance of the fibre. While the fashion world usually obsesses over rarity—say, cashmere from exotic antelopes—the source material for this collection comes with a potent social message.

As many as one in 12 male sheep are non-procreative and display a definite interest in other rams. These non-procreative, male-oriented rams require the same care as their breeding peers, but because they produce no offspring, are often deemed an "economic drag" by some farmers and subsequently slaughtered.

The shepherd's sanctuary

This practice was something German farmer Michael Stücke simply "couldn’t abide by." Since 1995, Stücke, 52, has operated a 100-acre sheep farm in Löhne, Westphalia, built on a commitment to dignity for all animals.

"Every animal should be kept in dignity, should live in dignity and will also die in dignity," Stücke stated.

Among his flock of over 500 sheep are 35 rescued gay rams, affectionately given names such as Marvin Gay and Jean Woll Gaultier. These rams are supported through Rainbow Wool, a non-profit Stücke created to raise awareness, allowing the public to sponsor the animals online.

Stücke, who left intense traditional farming to fall in love with sheep, speaks of his work as a calling. His voice rose when discussing the millennia-old relationship between sheep and humans: "It is so important to continue to do that and protect them and not throw it away."

A Grindr hook-up

The international collaboration was sparked by a LinkedIn message in August 2024. Nadia Leytes, who promotes the Rainbow Wool charity, reached out to Grindr. While Stücke, the humble farmer, was embarrassed to admit he hadn't heard of the dating app, Grindr’s Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing, Tristan Pineiro, was immediately captivated.

Pineiro saw the potential for more than just an ad campaign.

"It’s a great, feel-good story, but there’s also a message at the heart of it," Pineiro said. The concept of a fashion show using the reclaimed wool was born, instantly titled: "I Wool Survive."

Pineiro viewed the sheep as a global metaphor for the community the app serves: “Because they’re gay, they get discarded. They get thrown aside because they don’t conform to what they’re supposed to.”

The woollen fantasies

The dating app enlisted Schmidt via publicist Kelly Cutrone. Schmidt immediately envisioned a collection built on gay fantasy archetypes: the pool boy, the sailor, the lumberjack.

The ambitious goal was to make everything entirely out of wool. From the model clad as a pizza delivery driver, where the pizza box and slice were knitted, to the fireman’s knitted axe and the police officer’s crocheted badge.

The process was frantic. The wool was scoured at Stücke’s farm, spun into yarn in Spain, and shipped to Los Angeles. Schmidt and the team at Suss Knits had just two months to transform 700 pounds of “gay yarn” into 37 “gay, gay looks.” (The garments are not currently for sale, though the farm sells limited items online).

Before the show last week, Schmidt was backstage putting the final touches on the woollen harness worn by one model and stitching a purple tail onto a thong worn by drag performer CT Hedden.

Stücke was unfortunately unable to attend the runway event, but he hosted Schmidt at the farm weeks earlier. Schmidt was reportedly "blown away" by the bucolic German countryside and the quality of the wool.

"They’re like puppies," Schmidt said of the rescued rams. He confirmed the wool's exceptional quality: “It’s got a really nice body, a really nice texture. It’s really lovely. It’s gay, so it has to be.”