Will you wear clothes made out of human hair?
First Published Dec 7, 2021, 11:27 AM ISTAmsterdam-based designer Zsofia Kollar's 'Human Material Loop' is flipping the textile industry on its head by making clothes out of human hair! Here's how:
Amsterdam-based designer Zsofia Kollar's 'Human Material Loop' is flipping the textile industry on its head by making clothes out of human hair! Here's how:
Sustainable living has become a much-obliged mantra world over. Be it cutting down the use of plastic or incorporating eco-friendly ways of living in our daily lives, people globally have realised that the need of the hour is to reuse, recycle and more. However, this is one challenge that the textile industry has faced for some time now. (Photo Credit: Pexels)
Production of textiles is no easy walk in the park. Converting raw materials into finished fabrics involves a long chain of complex processes, including high-concentration of chemicals, large amounts of water and high temperatures. As a result, high energy is consumed, and tonnes of waste is left behind. (Photo Credit: Pexels)
Experts have said that a transition towards a more sustainable textile and fashion industry needs to incorporate an approach that minimises its environmental impacts. One such unique and probably the most unusual of them all is a new trend by Amsterdam-based designer Zsofia Kollar, which is flipping the textile industry on its head! How? By making fashionable clothes out of human hair! (Photo Credit: Human Material Loop)
"Because we need radical changes in our production system to maintain our planet for future generations," is written in bold on Zsofia Kollar's 'Human Material Loop' official website. In Europe alone, 72 million kilograms of human hair waste are generated, ending up in landfills and choking the drainage system. (Photo Credit: Pexels)
Human Material Loop says that hair, due to its quantity, non-toxic nature, high tensile strength, thermal insulator, flexibility, lightweight and oil-absorbing potential, makes it a great add-on to the textile production system. With the enhanced global energy crisis and current ecological risks, the unique advantages of natural fibres such as human hair are not yet implemented in our product cycles, adds Human Material Loop. (Photo Credit: Amfo Kwadwo/Human Material Loop)
"Trash is just raw material in the wrong place."
So how does Zsofia Kollar go about converting human hair into clothes? To begin with, she collects her 'raw materials' from local hair salons. Human Material Loop then processes human hair, spins the yarns, and develops high-performance textile with the lowest carbon footprint possible. (Photo Credit: Human Material Loop)
In an interview with Euronews, Zsofia Kollar says that local production of clothes reduces the amount of CO2 polluting the air as transportation of large containers filled with fabric won't be required anymore. "Human hair is globally available material. It is not like cotton or wool, which can be sold only in specific areas," she said. (Photo Credit: Human Material Loop Official Website)
Kollar added that, unlike animal hair which needs treatment, human hair is pretty much ready to go. All it needs is to be steamed and is cruelty-free. Think of it - if wearing clothes made from the fur of animals is considered fashionable, then why not wear an environment-friendly outfit made from human hair? (Photo Credit: Pexels)
So far, Human Material Loop has produced one jumper prototype made from human hair, based on knit designs by designer Li Jiahao, in The Hague. Called the 'Dutch Blonde', this jumper is made of 100 per cent recycled human hair collected from the Netherlands. The yarn was, however, produced at a spinning mill in Italy. (Photo Credit: Amfo Kwadwo/Human Material Loop)
Zsofia Kollar told Euronews that she plans to have all the material produced locally in future. Her plan also includes collecting too short hair to spin a yarn and then be repurposed as a natural fertiliser, as it provides nitrogen for plants when it decomposes. (Photo Credit: Human Material Loop)
Kollar also expressed hope that this unusual yet revolutionary idea can impact the textile industry that needs to adopt sustainable ways for a better future. "I am trying to help people become more open-minded to different materials, and hopefully, in the future, wearing a jumper made of human hair will be normal," opines Kollar. (Photo Credit: Amfo Kwadwo/Human Material Loop)