Innovative designs in sustainable fashion are increasingly utilizing unconventional materials. Among these, creations include gowns crafted from grass roots, sequins formed from algae, and lace interwoven with electrical wires. Adding to this list, researchers and designers at Aalto University have now incorporated a 300-year-old wooden shipwreck into their designs.
In 2019, renovations at a hotel in Oulu, Finland, uncovered a 17th-century ship buried beneath a parking lot. This vessel, known as the Hahtiperä wreck, was identified as the oldest of its kind in the region. Conservators raised the seven-by-20-meter ship for preservation, but some fragments were left behind. Researchers from Aalto’s Bioinnovation Center opted to rescue these remnants from disposal.
The team processed the wood by shredding and dissolving it into pulp. They then used their proprietary Ioncell process, developed in collaboration with Helsinki University, to transform the pulp into silky fibers by recycling materials like paper, straw, and textile waste.
Lecturer Anna-Mari Leppisaari was tasked with machine-knitting the undyed yarn into two seamless dresses. One of these dresses is currently exhibited at the Oulu Art Museum as part of a fashion-forward exhibition. The dress, with its sleek A-line shape and marbled pattern resembling wood grain, weighs less than a pound.
“Of course, a shipwreck is an exceptional case, but it’s also a story that makes people pause and appreciate materials in a new way,” lead designer Pirjo Kääriäinen reflects. “If something this beautiful can be made from centuries-old wood, why do we keep throwing away materials that could still be circulated and reused?”
The second dress will be featured in September at the university’s Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition. (via The History Blog)
