Hair by Hood

The project is a development of an existing project, Hair Matter(s), in which I proposed human hair as a design medium.
Exploring anthropological themes, my ambition is to initiate discussion through the materials I can collect. Exploring London by postcodes and through its local communities, I engaged diverse groups of people in the use of hair as a practical material and the ethics of its use.
My collaborative approach examines the idea of ownership, reframing my role as a designer. I employed traditional textile techniques, such as wet-felting transforming the hair into pliable sheet material. I tested other techniques and treatments to alter its appearance and therefore influence the reaction to the textile.
This participatory method of working engages different groups, creating debate around social customs. I investigated the connotations of our hairstyles, questioning cultural perceptions and identities associated with hair types.
Crafted with hair fibres the final garments represent the stories and cultures woven into the social fabric of a diverse city.
I believe that today more than ever, designers need to be provoking and take the role of a workshop and collaboration facilitator in order to engage communities to question the relationship that we have, as an individual with our unique identities and heritage, with our environment and neighbourhoods. Design is a tool for experiencing one’s surroundings, history as well as one’s body as a reflection of the real notion of ‘need’ and how to approach the decolonization of our identities and bodies.