Studio Sanne Visser's Locally Grown explores the potential of hair as a new material.

Would you consider using a human hair-based product in your next scheme?

Locally Grown is an interactive installation that took place at the recent Material Matters fair in London. It invited visitors to explore their hair as a new material with great potential.

This project is led by Studio Sanne Visser, a material design research studio investigating the development of human hair as a scaleable, regenerative material.

Initially launched at the Design Museum in 2022, the recent installation marked an evolution in the project to promote new pilot recycling hub, HairCycle in Stratford.

Since February 2024, the HairCycle team has been collecting hair from local salons and barbershops in Newham to transform it into local, bio-based materials. The studio shares that hundreds of kilograms of hair is wasted every month, choking drains, filling landfill sites, and releasing harmful greenhouse gases.

With this in mind, the installation offers a chance to experience the full journey from fibre to product through live hair cuts, spinning, ropemaking demonstrations and an exhibition of design objects to truly bring the benefits to life.

Collaboration is key to the studio's approach. As Sanne states in a recent Material Matters podcast interview, “I work independently, but I would never say I work alone.”

Expanding on previous work and possible applications of this strong and versatile material, Studio Sanne Visser has invited nine other studios with a like-minded approach to regenerative and circular design, to collaborate on a series of unique objects that incorporates the studio’s hair yarn, cord and rope.

Helen Kirkum Studio, Lauren MacDonald, Mia Rodney, Rein Reitsma, Tŷ Syml, Wilkinson & Rivera, have all applied hair ropes into a broad range of products, from high-quality interior objects to unique accessories.

R-Urban, Urban Radicals and Biocrafted x Coral Gardeners are also using the materials in various research products, from fertilisers for local parks to restoring coral reefs.

It seems that hair could be a strong, renewable contender for contributing to circular economy. What do you think?

All images used courtesy of Material Matters