Sanne Visser's HairCycle turns salon waste into rope, bricks, and community

London-based designer and researcher Sanne Visser has spent over a decade transforming discarded human hair into design materials through her initiative HairCycle, which launched in 2024 in Newham. The project collects hair from local salons and barbers, spinning it into yarns, ropes, textiles, building materials, and agricultural products. Visser's work challenges the perception of hair as waste, highlighting its strength, biodegradability, and abundance—over 6.8 million kilograms are discarded annually in the UK alone. Her research, which began during her master's at Central Saint Martins, has grown into a PhD in systemic design submitted earlier this year. HairCycle is funded initially by the AHRC and now operates independently, collaborating with hairdressers, rope makers, scientists, architects, and community groups. A new participatory exhibition, The Ropery, opens at Whitechapel Gallery on July 15th, 2026, as part of Backyard Biennial: East. It invites visitors to twist rope and contribute to a growing installation, drawing on East London's ropemaking history. Visser also contributed to Uzbekistan's debut at Milan Design Week 2026 with Shan'araq, a hand-twisted rope combining Karakalpak wool, Fergana cotton, Tashkent human hair, and reclaimed British yarn. Visser insists the project is not about hair but about rethinking material systems, labor, and community value.