Human hair vs Cotton thread

As hair is an extension of the body, would it be a more sustainable solution vs Cotton thread?

COTTON.

"Despite the fact that cotton is a natural fibre, the actual growing and processing

of cotton these days is far from natural or sustainable, and it's also having

devastating impacts on communities." (Immig 2009)

By researching the effects of growing and processing cotton, I was bombarded with alarming facts and horror stories that inform of it's contribution from the growth of a cotton plant, to the after life of a cotton garment, this natural fibre is, in no way 'environmentally friendly'.

When grown cotton fields are boom sprayed from the air and ground, spreading toxic pesticides. One drop of the toxic substance can kill a full grown adult, yet up to 1 million kg's is used per year. In countries that are struggling economically, farmers and employers can not afford to fund protective equipment, 97 cotton farmers experienced 323 counts of poison in 5 months. Is this fibre worth killing for?

"Here's a fact to consider next time you buy a new pair

of jeans and T-shirt - it takes more than 20, 000

litres of water to produce 1kg of cotton."

(Immig 2009)

The most egregious environmental and human disaster caused by cotton growing was the Aral Sea tradgedy. The Soviet Union diverted the Ama Dariya and the Syrdriya rivers to feed the inland Aral sea, in order to grow cotton in the dessert, which eventually starved the Aral sea of it's water supply. Many years later the water rose, bringing with it salt. This caused death of wildlife and raised health issues for those people who were dependent on the inland sea their supply of drinking water. Fashion comes at a price, and i am beginning to realise the depth of that statement.

Globally we use 25,000,000 tonnes of cotton a year, which is then, disassembled and used for rags or treated as waste adding to the masses of trash dumped in landfills. As it decomposes slowly, the t-shirt you bought 2 years ago loved for 6 months and threw away is STILL impacting on the environment. As a consumer and designer i am horrified by the 'behind the scenes' information surrounding cotton.

With my grandparents and relatives being farmers, although not specifically in the cotton industry, I feel strongly about the dangers risked by those farmers who are growing and processing a fibre that is not only harming their physical health but the environment and land they so heavily rely on. As a consumer of op- shop clothing I see many homeless garments and now think... if i don't save you from landfill, and stop you from further impacting on the environment who will? I was once a mindless consumer so i cant expect that everyone has the knowledge and desire to save/ stop you? As a designer I am now determined to create a garment from a pre- loved material, i am also focused on finding an alternative material to use, besides cotton thread to piece my new garment together.

Will human hair prove to be the sustainable option?

HUMAN HAIR.

"Pounds and pounds of cut human hair is hauled to

landfills from salons around the world

every week." (Webecoist 2006)

The idea that hair keeps growing after death is in fact, a myth. Hair, being made up of proteins naturally decomposes, and accounts for 80% of your household dust. Human hair is biodegradable, however there are many solutions to avoid wasting the product that has proven useful to the environment.

WANT TO HELP WITH THE OIL SPILL? DONATE HAIR CLIPPINGS: NASA has now expanded on Phillip McCrory's original idea, formed in 1989. McCrory experimented using five pounds of human hair, a air of nylon stockings, his son's kiddie pool and some oil. A green non- profit organisation Matter of Trust have been accepting donations of shampooed pet fur and human hair since 1998, to craft such oil- absorbing hair matts- also knows as 'flat square dreadlocks'. It does not require any new resources to create and has now been acknowledged as a means of clean- up technology.

"Human hair is biodegradable; therefore, it is one

of the safest cleaning solutions to an

oil spill." (L'abbate 2010)

It is evident that human hair is more sustainable vs cotton thread. Human hair is a natural recourse and an extension of the body, it does not emit pollutants, waste energy and significant amounts of water AND IT DEFINITELY DOES NOT contribute to social impacts including death by hazardous pesticides. Human hair is considered sustainable and useful, as a means of clean- up technology for oil spills, which provides an impact on the environment in a positive sense.

Although through research i have proven that Human hair is an extremely successful alternative in the way of sustainability, i will not use it as an alternative to cotton thread, to piece together my garment. As i am now aware of its positive impact on the environment, i do not feel that i would increase its value by using it as thread. Donating human hair to the Matter of Trust organisation increases the value of human hair, and it will provide a more important service as a clean up technology rather then a thread. However I have now made a conscious decision to steer clear of cotton thread and source a more sustainable alternative, leaving all the human hair for the Matter of Trust organisation.

DONATE YOUR HAIR TO THE MATTER OF TRUST ORGANISATION.

CURRENT DESIGN THOUGHTS

Doilies handed down through generations, treated as waste held in plastic bags situated in cupboards around the family home. Up- cycle doilies, play with the 'candy spew' colour pallet and involve the already stained materials. Handle the delicate fabrics by using a detailed hand sewn technique to join the doilies together. Incorporate sustainability by up- cycling the pre- loved materials and by using a sustainable alternative vs cotton thread.

Collaboration.

I, Stefanie O'Dea aim to further develop a combination of initiative, creativity and self- reliance, together with the skills of collaboration and teamwork...

To blur the line between Fashion and Art i am collaborating with Artist Heidi Stevens, to produce a garment and short film that exhibits a unique blend of the Artists creativity, concept, thoughts and process and my creativity, interpretation, aesthetic and design. When teamed with Heidi, i was instantly inspired by her concept of pushing the dialog to express femininity, her interest in 16th century dress, her idea of delicate, the feminine form and her use of abnormal materials such as wax, coffee, human hair and the pallet of colour Heidi described as 'Candy Spew'.

(Heidi Steven's, Artist)

I was drawn to Heidi's Art, as i believed as a designer i share a similar view of what is feminine, as well as an interest in early century dress, the idea of the feminine figure and the issues which surround these ideals and the colour pallet that i will also now refer to as 'Candy Spew' i.e baby pinks, blues, yellows, off- whites...However I was particularly fascinated by Heidi's incorporation of human hair and what it represented, the women's body, witch craft, the social stereotypes and the perception that women aren't meant to have hair there? When Interpreting this feature, i realised that i have never thought of sewing a garment together with anything other than cotton thread. Hair is perceived as a feminine attribute, relating to the concept but...

As hair is an extension of the body, would it be a more sustainable solution vs cotton thread ?

"Reduce the impact of modern consumption without

compromising commercial or creative edge."

(Chapman 2005, 24)

Sustainablity.

This semester, I Stefanie O'Dea second year Fashion Design student of QUT, am being introduced to an awareness of differing approaches to design practice and issues surrounding fashion and sustainability...

When briefed with the requirements and theme of this semester, i was instantly made aware of who i was in regards to sustainability, and how i was contributing to the impact being made on the environment, both as a designer and a consumer. The question was simply stated :

Q. Would you consider yourself to be an ethical consumer? what about an ethical designer? why/ why not.

I was blissfully unaware until responding to this question that i was not at all an ethical consumer nor was i an ethical designer. I do not and never have based a purchase around the 'behind the scenes' information of a garment (i.e Natural Resources used in production, Pollutants emitted and the Social impacts, such as oil spills and slave labour), i purely make the purchase due to a' love at first sight experience' and an examination of the quality and fit of the garment. As a designer, before this brief i was aware of issues surrounding fashion and sustainability but did not understand the enormous impact the industry had on the environment. Therefore I never considered the issues surrounding the production of textiles, the life of the garment, the waste of fabric, the breakdown of the materials and how i would be contributing, when designing a garment and choosing the fabrics and finishes i would utilise.

I aim to ask myself this very question at the end of this semester, hoping to hear through it my increased awareness of the issues surrounding sustainability and fashion.