Detangling hair as the next go-to textile trend…
Hair is everywhere right now! Not just on our heads but draped across chests, hanging from ears and swishing against knees. One of the more Avant Garde trends that we have seen spring up this year have been adopted by Instagram It-girls like @laravioletta, who has posted numerous images adorning D’heygere’s ‘hair hoops’ made using synthetic hair extensions, and @miraalmomani, who recently posted in a ‘pink hairtage top’ by Leawald which features braided synthetic hair that covers the wearer’s chest. The use of hair was even utilised at this year’s Savannah College of Art and Design and the Pratt Institute’s graduate fashion shows by young designers.
Styling hair has been a practice for both women and men for thousands of years whether this be for aesthetic purposes, utility, religion, tradition or otherwise. One of the earliest examples of hairstyling appears on ‘The Venus of Willendorf’ and ‘Venus of Brassempouy’ statuettes from the Ice Age dated at 30,000 BC. Ancient civilisations often viewed hairstyling as a way to represent one’s social status, in ancient Egypt pharaohs and noblewomen adorned complexly braided wigs which were expensive and timely to make. In the 1970s and 1980s social movements like ‘punks’ used hair as a form of self-expression and often wore it in radical styles, like Mohicans, and dyed a wide range of colours. However today it seems we’re not just styling the hair that’s on our heads instead we’re moving towards creating clothing and accessories that makes use of hair as a textile.
A young designer who has employed this unusual material is Bangkok-based Prim Shalyn (@primshalyn), who recently debuted a collection inspired by kitsch art and a stand-out look featuring a model robed head-to-toe in long brunette locks with a bright pink claw clip cinching her torso. To create this look Shalyn initially intended to just present the hair clip before deciding that adding hair would elevate the concept. Shalyn told Broke that to make the look she “used synthetic hair fibres, separated them into small bunches, and sewed them onto a stretch fabric base that forms the inner structure of the dress by hand-stitched the hair into place and reinforced it with Polyester fibres to achieve the shape”. The hair clip was then moulded to the model and cast in fibreglass. When coming up with the design Shalyn’s thesis advisor encouraged her to use unconventional materials which led to her choice of “hair to achieve a unique texture and the fluidity” through the outfit.
Hair as clothing isn’t just about making divisive and unique garments there’s also a level of sustainability with this trend. The Human Material Loop states that it transforms “human hair into natural, durable, and traceable textile fibres” by collecting waste from hair salons to repurpose it into textiles. The idea behind using human hair comes from both the amount of waste produced by hair salons and the fact the textile industry is one of the world’s biggest polluters, relying largely on oil-based fibres or the mass farming of lives-stock. “Much like wool or alpaca, human hair is composed largely of keratin protein fibres. Ergo, it shares many of the same benefits, like heat retention and odour control” but with human hair comes more unique benefits such as being a hypoallergenic material, antibacterial and plastic and toxic-free.
Charlie Le Mindu is a French hair artist who has created avant-garde looks for everyone from Lady Gaga to Julia Fox. Most recently we have seen his almost otherworldly wearable hair creations on Doja Cat during Coachella and her Scarlet European tour. One particular attention-grabbing look from Doja Cat’s tour was when she adorned a pair of angel wings coated in blonde tresses.
Charlie Le Mindu told us about the process of coming up with this design: “There is nothing brand new in creating wings really, it is a classic. This design approach was totally aligned with the ongoing creative collaboration I have with Brett Alan Nelson, Doja Cat’s stylist, since the beginning of the year. Doja herself asked for wings, and we thought it would be cool to develop them covered in hair. The Victoria’s Secret shows and their iconic wing designs were a huge inspiration in terms of visuals and impact. The challenge was really the way of making them: my atelier and I spent hours researching and studying the technical aspects of it. Time management was key in this as we had very little time, yet their construction was intricate: these are massive wings, not just a few hair wefts hanging on some metal wire. The wings might be my favourite part of the show”. One of Le Mindu’s most notable designs has been a full-body suit made of hair which we saw during his 2022 dance show in New York and worn by both Tommy Cash and Doja Cat.
When asked about the inspiration behind these all-encompassing looks Le Mindu explained “As a Gypsy, I’m inspired by my roots which means the WORLD. But more specifically Eastern Europe, where my cousins and family are from, like Bulgaria. My stepmum from Cameroon is a huge inspiration too. But really, I was obsessed with the car wash when I was a kid”. Le Mindu’s love for hair also comes from a desire for sustainability “We are throwing away too much human hair and upcycling it is very important to me” when asked about the allure of fashion made from hair Le Mindu responds “It is all about wearing human fur and we don’t kill anyone yet for it!”
Hair has long represented more than just meets the eye it isn’t just for decoration it is a symbol of power, a message about what someone stands for and an expression of one’s self. In many ways, fashion and hair are similar so it isn’t surprising that the two are beginning to meld into one. According to UK Research and Innovation 6.7 million kilograms of human hair waste is generated in the UK alone and most of it ends up in landfills. Designers and innovators such as Le Mindu and The Human Material Loop don’t just see the use of hair in fashion as a fickle trend but as a sustainable textile that should be used not just now but also far into the future. After all, hair waste is regularly produced worldwide so why not make the future of textiles all about the hair necessities?