Human Material Loop aims to repurpose human hair into textiles, building coats, jumpers, and blazers
Human Material Loop, a groundbreaking Dutch startup, is challenging the common employs of human hair by envisioning it as a sustainable substitute in the manner business.
Co-founder Zsofia Kollar expresses a extensive-standing fascination with the psychological relationship people have with their hair, juxtaposed with society’s reluctance once it really is discarded.
In response to the squander problem in the hair business, the startup aims to repurpose human hair into textiles, developing prototypes of coats, jumpers, and blazers with the hope that outfits organizations will embrace this option material.
Kollar’s inspiration to address the hair industry’s waste concern intensified throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting her to remodel her part as a designer. The enterprise seeks to counter the environmental impact of hair squander, with salons in the US and Canada on your own creating 877 lbs . of squander each minute.
The hair breaks down in landfills, releasing greenhouse gases that contribute to weather change. According to Human Materials Loop, a staggering 72 million kilograms of human hair squander stop up in European landfills on a yearly basis, equivalent to seven Eiffel Towers.
The procedure of building cloth from human hair entails spinning small hairs together to variety a continual thread, which is then remodeled into yarn and dyed with pure pigments.
Human Material Loop’s prototype, a wool-like sweater, aims to make the principle relatable to the community. Extra prototypes contain an outdoor coat designed for thermal insulation, tested in severe conditions on Aconcagua, the greatest mountain in Argentina.
While the prototypes are not obtainable for order, Human Product Loop intends to offer the product to other designers and models, with a competitive pricing aim when compared to standard wool.
Kollar acknowledges the public’s original hesitation to use outfits made from human hair but believes that, with time, the idea’s novelty and sustainability elements could resonate.
The startup responsibly sources hair from salons in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, working with lower or broken hair without the need of nuclear DNA. To be certain transparency, Human Material Loop is doing the job on creating a documentation chain to trace the material’s origin and vacation spot.
Irrespective of the historic use of human hair in textiles, challenges persist due to societal taboos, as pointed out by Dutch content researcher Sanne Visser. On the other hand, she envisions a gradual acceptance of hair as a beneficial source in our day-to-day life.