SWOOP HAIR PINS
With the goal of designing a product that is both decorative and functional, I sought out design opportunities in an area that I am personally very familiar with: natural hair. Taking functional cues from reusable chopsticks, I developed Swoop - a line of hair pins designed primarily for textured hair.
With more and more women making the decision to "go natural", hair is bigger than ever. However, while the beauty industry is primarily focused on developing new haircare products and hair appliances, few advancements have been made in the way of everyday hair accessories for curly hair.
I went off to do my initial brain dump, using chopsticks as a reference. After quickly getting some ideas down on paper, I made some quick-and-dirty prototypes out of steel and copper wire.
With the chopsticks as my reference for functionality, I developed a mood board to help define the look and feel. Pulling inspiration from natural hair and fashion mavens Cipriana and TK Quann, I sought out images that reflected the juxtaposition of downtown style with elegant, harmonious, and subtle colors and textures.
As I prepared to sketch more concepts, I began to think about the overall utility of the pin, namely:
What happens when the wearer removes the pin from her hair? Where can she store it?
I sketched concepts that introduced the idea of a little "tooth" that would A) help keep the pin securely in place in the hair, and B) allow the wearer to clip the pin onto her garment for safekeeping.
The first few rounds of prototypes were made by laser cutting acrylic. After testing, making adjustments, and eventually deciding on a few designs, I moved on to water jetting, and cut the final round of prototypes from aluminum.
I tested my prototypes on three separate hair types: kinky-curly (4a), wavy (2a), and straight (1).
The results were very positive, so presented my prototypes to my colleagues for feedback. Almost unanimously, they stated that, while the designs look really cool two-dimensionally, they are almost underwhelming when actually worn in the hair.
I reconsidered my planned manufacturing process, water jetting, and decided to try bending brass.
This yielded positive results, as it was less expensive and less wasteful, and I was able to come up with more dynamic forms without compromising on the utility or functionality of the product.
