One of the founders of material innovation company Human Material Loop has announced they will be embarking on a trip to trial a clothing prototype utilising waste keratin protein fibre – human hair.

Leonardo Antonio Avezzano, the company’s co-founder, will be sporting the prototype gear during an expedition to Aconcagua, Argentina, where he will test the technology and its thermal properties within the harsh mountainous environment.

The jacket and pants to be worn by Avezzano have been filled with waste hair collected from local hair salons and treated to provide thermal insulation.

In a release, the company said: “We have been exploring different possibilities and applications since the beginning. You can have great lab results, but the real test of your technology is when you put it into real situations.”

Avezzano added that he will document the whole journey and respond to any questions on the way.

The creator founded the start-up alongside Zsofia Kollar, with the duo working on several technologies in an attempt to manufacture materials with a zero negative-impact on the environment.

Its concept came as a response to the slew of waste human hair going into landfills, a product that the company said has the same protein fibre as wool.

The team’s ultimate goal is to enable brands and designers to eventually work with the material, providing a sustainable solution through its “high-performance products”.