Swedish Woman Designs Underwear Made From Human Hair

Back to basics seems to be the ethos guiding one Swedish woman's design philosophy when she fashioned knickers out of human hair. In a report by Swedish website Expressen, Nina Sparr, 43, shared her passion for crafting nifty items using human hair she sourced from across the country.

"It's a bit special. They are knitted by 100 per cent human hair and it is not mixed with anything else or coloured," Sparr told Expressen. "There is hair that comes from salons, and clients of mine who have donated because I work with them full time."

Asked about the feel of the underwear, Sparr hinted that it may take some getting used to. "The hair sticks of course a bit. For hair is a mess. You know, like when you have your hair cut at the hairdresser and it falls down in your sweater and then sticks," said the designer, who also happened to be a ship owner.

Sparr's unique underwear has obviously piqued the curiosity of locals, and has attracted quite a number of clients, including a soon-to-be bride. But Sparr doesn't seem to be surprised of why her products are well-received. "It becomes so personal when it is your own hair," Sparr said. "If, for example, you are getting married and have your own hair when ordering a bridal crown. It's incredibly personal, and therefore it has lots of emotion in it."

It is interesting to note that the underwear comes at a time when competition in the undergarments market is getting tighter due to more brands and new high-performance product lines. From Jockey's Women's Performance Plus Bikini Briefs to Naked Brand Group Inc.'s upcoming women's intimate apparel line, there's indeed a lot of options for women to choose from these days. Known for its men's underwear collections, Canadian luxury brand Naked plans to foray into the women's underwear, sleepwear and lingerie market sometime this year, 2015, with CEO and Chairwoman Carole Hochman helping transform the brand's vision into reality.

Sparr's hair underwear is among fashion items created from locks. In 2012, Josie Breeds, a hairdresser in the United Kingdom, created a dress made from blonde hair that was worn by a pageant finalist in Miss England's environmentally friendly dress round. "Holly like wearing it, she said it felt really silky," Breeds said of the dress.

Another example is a jacket made of human chest hair designed by U.K.-based company Wing-Co. According to a report by Complex, the jacket took 200 hours to make and cost a whopping $3,860 a pop.

To contact the writer, email: v.hernandez@ibtimes.com.au