Hair as material

For her graduation assignment at the Artemis Academy, Meike Fleskens created these caps made of human hair. For her losing hair has always been a heart wrenching process, whether simply at the hairdresser or more seriously, when she suffered from actual hair loss due to malaria tablets. This inspired her to take a closer look at all that ‘wasted’ hair. As a result she created an artwork that touches upon a variety of dilemmas concerning hair, fashion and sustainability. Consider hair as a product, similar to sheep wool. Just like wool, hair has scales which can hook into each other when treated with warm water and soap. Next the strands of hair are twisted and form yarn, that can be knitted together to make clothing. This material is therefore relatively easy to work with. It is also easy to come by and cheap, as it is thrown away in large quantities every day. All these notions together raise the question if human hair could be the answer for sustainable fashion. Due to overconsumption and maltreatment of the environment by fashion companies, the fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world.Have a look for example at the initiative [Sustain Your Style](https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-environmental-impacts] Besides being a free product, human hair is hypoallergenic, biodegradable and (if it is your own) suits your skin tone perfectly. So if there are only pros to using human hair, why isn’t it used more often? And why was CAPSEL met with such surprise and sometimes even horror?

Why is human hair not used as an alternative for less sustainable fabrics? Perhaps there are connotations to human hair that deter potential buyers. Maybe horror films come to mind where hair is used for sickening purposes, or perhaps it is the mere idea of wearing something that once belonged to someone else’s body that is appalling.

It seems that the process of commodification is akin to dehumanization. Wearing someone’s hair might feel eerie, precisely because it is worn as a lifeless object, deprived from its previous living status. The fact is that the physical properties of hair do not suddenly change: color, consistency and thickness all remain, even the strands of DNA are stored. Biologically speaking, human hair will always contain the unique qualities of the person it originally belonged to. If commodification of human hair is to be made feasible, it is up to society to normalize this and to shake off the icky connotations.

Another striking factor is the cultural dimension of hair. The majority of cultures and subcultures across the globe have characteristic ways of hairdressing that are often entwined with their roots. Commodified hair would not only have a biological heritage, but a cultural heritage as well. Whether it be the Rastafari dreadlocks or a punk style green mohawk, long blond curls or short black locks, every human hair product carries with it a cultural and emotional history.

The question is, will the characteristic conveyances of human hair always remain in the back of our minds when wearing it? Or will we be able to detach it from its possible history? Perhaps we should not want to detach it at all, but accept it as an inherent part of the product. We can also imagine wearing something made of hair belonging to a loved one: would you be more inclined to wear that piece because of the positive connotations? Of course, the question remains whether it is technologically possible to produce human hair clothing on a big scale, but either way, the concept does encourage us to consider the origins of the clothes we wear, the inconspicuous industry behind it, and the feasibility of sustainable alternatives.