What's on
From family support, fitness classes and learning to art exhibitions, festivals and talks, our activities are wide and far reaching.
Material Matters 2024 welcomes 50 world-leading brands, designers, manufacturers and organisations to Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, to celebrate materials and their ability to shape society.
We spoke to a selection of makers and designers from this exciting line up to find out what's in store this London Design Festival!
Studio Sanne Visser is a material design research studio mainly known for working with human hair as a material resource. Find out more on what to expect at their Material Matters installation:
Tell us a little bit about yourself, your brand, and what inspires you
"My name is Sanne, I am a designer and researcher interested in materials that can create positive socio- and ecological impact using circular design and participatory design approaches. I’m particularly fascinated by the potential of waste materials and alternative resources using low-impact processes.
My work with Studio Sanne Visser, a material design research studio, is mainly known working with human hair as a material resource. Hair is an incredibly abundant, locally available, it's renewable, yet majority ends up in landfill. I’ve been working on ways to transform this discarded material into something useful, like yarns, ropes and textiles – which are then turned into high-quality objects such as bags, swings, and mirrors. Since my graduation work The New Age of Trichology in 2016, I’ve developed a circular system where human hair is collected, processed, and turned into high-value products. Currently we are trailing a new pilot project, called HairCycle, in partnership with Newham Council; here human hair gets collected from local barbers and hairdresser and processed in the HairCycle’s Recycling Hub in Stratford.
What drives me is the inspiration I get from the people I meet and the stories they carry. I love learning about new crafts, discovering their origins, and understanding how they form an integral part of their communities. It’s fascinating to see how these practices can inspire broader societal and ecological changes. I’m deeply inspired by the intersection of traditional and modern technologies, especially when they come together in a way that promotes both humanity and other living systems to thrive regeneratively. For me, it's about finding balance, where we can live equally alongside nature, rather than extracting from it.
My approach to design is very much aligned with the principles of the circular economy and systemic design. I’m always thinking about how we can minimize waste and keep materials in use for as long as possible. This means considering the entire lifecycle of a product, from its creation to its eventual end-of-life, and designing in a way that promotes reuse, recycling, and responsible consumption. Collaboration is also a big part of what I do. I’ve had the opportunity to work with a range of industries and experts, academic institutions, and local communities to push the boundaries of what’s possible with regenerative and systemic design. My research often involves hands-on experimentation and field research using participatory and co-design approaches. Education and advocacy are also important aspects of my work. I believe that by sharing my insights and experiences, I can contribute to the broader conversation about socio-ecological impacts we can make with design. I’ve been involved in exhibitions, workshops, and lectures, all aimed at raising awareness and inspiring others to think differently about where materials come from and what design processes can be used."
What are you exhibiting at Material Matters this year, and what inspired this?
"I’m exhibiting Locally Grown, an interactive installation that invites visitors to explore human hair as a new material with great potential. It’s an evolution of a project I launched at the Design Museum in 2022 and continues to develop through our HairCycle pilot recycling hub in Stratford. Since February 2024, we’ve been collecting hair from local salons and barbershops in Newham to transform it into bio-based materials. Hair, which is often seen as waste, is repurposed to create something valuable. The installation allows visitors to experience the full journey from fibre to product through live hair-cuts, spinning, and ropemaking demonstrations, alongside an exhibition of design objects. For this, we’ve collaborated with nine other studios to showcase a series of unique objects made from hair yarn, cord, and rope. The installation is supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and co-curated by Company, Place, an organisation that focuses on a bio-regional approach to arts commissioning.
I was driven by the desire to show how a locally grown, naturally abundant material can be seen and experienced in a new light. Hair is something almost everyone can relate to, and getting a haircut is a familiar, everyday experience. Through this exhibition, I wanted to make the showcase how anyone’s hair can be transformed into a valuable material resource in a very tangible and personal way. In a world dominated by automation, mass industrialisation, and production often happening far from where we live, we’ve become disconnected from how materials are made and where they come from. Locally Grown is about reconnecting people to the process, making them aware of the potential in what’s close to us. This exhibition is also the first-time visitors can see the results of what was made from hair collected in Milan, showcased in our first ‘Locally Grown Collaborative Collection,’ linking people and place through this everyday yet powerful material."
Why did you choose these products/installations to be exhibited at Material Matters?
"Material Matters is a unique platform where material innovators and boundary seekers come together to shape the future of materials. It’s a space that highlights how radical innovation can intersect with commercialization, while also inspiring behaviour change and offering insightful, joyful experiences."
What interested you in a career in design, and what do you enjoy the most about your work?
"As a young creative, I never thought I would have a career in design, but I always knew a creative path was certain for me. Once I started (and then completed) my master’s, I realised that being a designer, specifically a design researcher and maker, was what I truly wanted to pursue. It gave me the chance to create positive change by developing new materials that address climate change. The impact might have seemed small at first, especially when I began nearly 10 years ago, but seeing how mindsets shift and behaviour changes toward waste and recycling is exactly why I do this work.
What I love most about my job is connecting with others to build the hair ecosystem; exchanging stories and knowledge, which always brings in fresh perspectives and ideas. I really enjoy field research; exploring, discovering new research areas, and figuring out what I need to do to uncover answers I didn’t know before. Honestly, I think I could study forever, I just love learning. I also love sharing the work we’re doing with others and learning together in the process. Exhibitions and workshops give people the chance to experience materials in a deeper way, but also to explore their own roles in this world."
What excites you about showcasing your work in Material Matters?
"What excites me most about showcasing my work at Material Matters is the opportunity to challenge people's perceptions about everyday waste, specifically something as personal as human hair. It’s exciting to invite people to not only witness, but actively engage with the transformation of what they might otherwise discard into something valuable and tangible. This is about more than just seeing; it’s about feeling the connection between ourselves and the materials we can help create. I love how it opens up new conversations about sustainability, circularity, and the surprising potential that exists in what we usually overlook.
I’m very excited to showcase our new collaborative collection, which demonstrates the further potential of human hair yarn and rope. Working with other designers who are exploring regenerative materials – like leather waste, natural dyeing with madder, combining hair with seaweed, or incorporating wood from felled trees in London – we’re able to push the boundaries of what’s possible. It’s incredible to see how human hair can become part of an even broader ecosystem of materials, creating genuine local and innovative products."
Your work is unique in using human hair waste - how do you use the human hair to create new materials and design outputs?
"Yes, human hair is such an underrated material with incredible potential, and the process we use to transform it is rooted in ancient techniques like spinning and rope making. These methods allow us to turn hair into yarn, rope, and textiles; strong, durable, and versatile materials that can be used in a range of applications, without the need of using any other fibres or binders which is great for its recyclability and or biodegradability. By utilising these traditional techniques, we’re giving hair a second life as a valuable resource rather than something that just ends up as waste.
Beyond these traditional processes, we’re now exploring new ways to expand the potential of hair even further. For instance, together with R-Urban and their communities, we’re exploring how we felted hair mats can be used as natural fertilisers or mulch to help grow vegetables in local community gardens in East-London. We’re also working with the architectural practice Urban Radicals to experiment with hair in building materials like bricks, tiles, and renders, where its properties as a strong reinforcer and insulator make it incredibly useful. These new applications highlight how human hair can contribute to sustainable solutions across industries, from agriculture to architecture, opening exciting possibilities for the future of regenerative design."
What can Material Matters visitors expect from your interactive installation?
"Visitors can expect a fully immersive and hands-on experience that invites them to explore human hair as a valuable material. They’ll be able to witness the entire journey of hair, from live haircuts to demonstrations of spinning and rope making, turning something as everyday as hair into high-quality yarn, rope, and textiles.
It’s not just about viewing materials or beautifully handcrafted objects, it’s about engaging with them, learning how they (themselves!) can be part of a circular, regenerative system, and discovering new possibilities for waste."
Thank you Sanne for being a brilliant Maker Spotlight!
We've got an exciting line-up of activity for London Design Festival at Oxo Tower Wharf, including the innovative, cutting-edge design fair Material Matters. Explore our full programme of events here: