Dutch designer turns human hair into fabric, introduces new possibility for sustainable fabrics

FT NEWS

The race for innovating new, sustainable fabrics is on in the fashion industry as designers experiment with agricultural waste, plastic waste and more to close the circle in the process of making new clothes. This comes at the heels of increased awareness around the mammoth environmental impact and unjust labour practices of the fashion industry, forcing brands and designers to take charge and turn the tide by designing with sustainability focused innovation.

But, a Dutch designer has taken sustainable innovation many notches higher by designing a sweater made of human hair.

You read that right. Amsterdam-based designer Zsofia Kollar creates different kinds of textured and patterned fabrics using human hair, something that is mindlessly thrown away, with 72 million kgs ending up every year in the landfills of Europe alone. Her brand, Human Material Loop, aims to integrate “human waste hair into a closed loop recycling system”.

Here are a few facts about human hair:

  • Human hair is a keratin protein fibre, just like Alpaca or wool.
  • Cut off hair does not contain nuclear DNA.
  • Hair has a strength-to-weight ratio comparable to steel.
  • Hair can withstand up to 70 per cent deformation before breaking.

Besides these qualities, what makes hair a sustainable alternative to synthetic fibers and even wool is that “human hair and its abundance quantity, non-toxic, non-irritation of the skin, high tensile strength, lightweight, thermal insulator, flexibility, and oil-absorbing capability as a material show a great potential integrating it into our production system.

One of their designs is this knit sweater in shades of tan made entirely of human hair with a near zero carbon-footprint, as shared by the brand on its Instagram post. The sweater is made using waste human hair that was collected, processed, designed, and manufactured in the Netherlands.

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