Portfolio¶

Rooted in Hope¶

My final Fabricademy project explores sustainable wig design through the innovative use of yarns naturally dyed with plant-based and organic materials, including turmeric, black bean, black walnut, onion skins, madder root, and indigo. This project centers on the intersection of sustainability, cultural expression, and wellness by reimagining alternative hair solutions that minimize environmental impact while honoring traditional dyeing practices rooted in global and ancestral knowledge systems. By replacing synthetic fibers and chemical dyes with biodegradable yarns and natural pigments, the project contributes to more eco-conscious approaches within both the fashion and beauty industries.

The wigs are designed and constructed to reflect a range of Afrocentric hairstyles, celebrating the texture, volume, and versatility of Black hair. Styles such as afros, twists, braids, and sculptural forms are explored using yarn as a medium, allowing for both artistic expression and functional wearability. The use of yarn not only provides a lightweight and flexible structure but also opens possibilities for customization, color variation, and tactile richness through the natural dyeing process.

A key focus of this project is to provide a culturally affirming and accessible solution for Black women experiencing hair loss due to medical conditions, stress, or other factors. Traditional wigs can often be expensive, chemically processed, and lacking in representation of natural Black hair textures. This project challenges those limitations by offering an alternative that is both empowering and sustainable. It redefines beauty standards by centering identity, creativity, and care.

Additionally, the project serves as an educational tool, documenting the full process from dye extraction and yarn treatment to wig construction and styling. It highlights the potential of combining digital fabrication, craft techniques, and sustainable practices within a Fab Lab environment. Ultimately, this work blends innovation with tradition, positioning sustainable design as a pathway for inclusive, culturally responsive solutions in fashion and beyond.

Who, What, When, Where, and Why:¶

Who The project itself consists of a collection of sustainable, textile-based wigs and sculptural crowns constructed primarily from yarn and fiber-based materials. These pieces are naturally dyed using biochromes and plant-derived materials such as turmeric, black beans, black walnut, onion skins, and madder root. Through techniques including wrapping, braiding, layering, knotting, and fiber manipulation, the wigs are transformed into expressive Afrocentric hairstyles and wearable forms that merge fashion, craft, and cultural storytelling. The collection explores how hair-inspired structures can function simultaneously as adornment, identity expression, and artistic material experimentation.

What This work is being developed as a final project for Fabricademy 2026, an interdisciplinary program focused on textiles, digital fabrication, and material innovation. While the current collection serves as the foundation of the project, the concept is intended to extend beyond the academic setting into future collections, exhibitions, collaborative research, and community-centered workshops focused on sustainable hair practices, natural dyes, and culturally responsive design.

When The project is being created within the Fabricademy and maker-space environment, including Fab Lab settings that encourage experimentation at the intersection of traditional craft and emerging technologies. By combining hand-based textile techniques with digital fabrication processes, the work bridges ancestral knowledge systems with contemporary innovation. Its applications extend into educational spaces, sustainable fashion initiatives, wellness-centered environments, and community programming that values creativity, accessibility, and cultural representation.

Why At its core, the project exists to provide an eco-friendly, non-toxic, and culturally meaningful alternative to traditional wigs and synthetic hair products. It seeks to support Black women experiencing hair loss by creating lightweight, breathable, and affirming wearable forms that prioritize both physical comfort and emotional well-being. At the same time, the project promotes sustainability by reducing reliance on chemically processed and petroleum-based materials through the use of natural dyes and biodegradable fibers. Ultimately, the work celebrates identity, resilience, and self-definition through Afrocentric design, positioning hair not simply as a cosmetic accessory, but as a powerful medium for storytelling, healing, and innovation.

Presentation¶

the slideshow that presents your project

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GANTT Chart¶

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embed a slideshow - but remove the tip!

it's easy to embed your slideshow from drive or other similar tools, slideshows files are often too heavy to be uploaded into the repository. You can load an optimised PDF if you want the reader to be able to download your presentation as a portfolio. In this case it's smart to add your details in the page template of the PDF.

To embed your google slide show, rememeber to publish your presentation on the web and copy the embed code. You can resize the size of the window similarly to the example above with a width of 1000; height of 460.