A 17th-century cargo ship that sat hidden under a parking lot in Oulu, Finland, is now part of a fashion project that has turned leftover wood into two maxi dresses. Researchers at Aalto University transformed surplus wood from the Hahtiperä wreck into textile fibre, spun it into yarn, and knitted it into identical long dresses with the help of AI-assisted design tools. One dress is already on display in Oulu, while the other is set to appear in an Aalto exhibition later this year.
What happened
The story began in 2019, when renovation work at a hotel in Oulu uncovered the remains of a 17th-century cargo ship beneath the parking lot. The wreck was later named the Hahtiperä wreck, after Oulu’s first harbor. Conservation teams documented and preserved as much as possible, but some wood fragments were left over and were headed for disposal. That is the material Aalto researchers decided to reuse.
The team processed the old wood in stages. First, they removed the outer layer, then turned the inner core into pulp, and finally converted that pulp into fibre using the Ioncell® method, an Aalto-developed process created with Helsinki University. The fibre became a yarn with a brown tone and a slight sheen. Researchers left it undyed and unbleached so the wreck’s own color could stay visible in the final garments.
Background and context
Aalto’s own research added another layer to the story. By studying the timber, researchers found that the pine trees used to build the ship grew in the forests of Ostrobothnia in the 17th century. The university also said the Hahtiperä wreck is the oldest shipwreck discovered in Northern Finland, which helps explain why the Finnish Heritage Agency chose to conserve it in the first place.
The project took nearly two years and involved many specialists across chemistry, forest products, textiles, and design. Aalto said the work was about more than fashion. It was also about testing whether a heritage material that could not be fully preserved might still carry its story forward in another form.
Why this matters now
The project arrives at a time when museums, scientists, and designers are looking for new ways to reduce waste and reuse materials with care. Aalto’s team said the point was to cut down on virgin raw materials and use resources more wisely. In this case, that message came wrapped in a piece of clothing that also acts like a public reminder of underwater history.
There is also a bigger cultural point here. Shipwrecks often preserve rare objects, but textiles usually do not survive well under water. Turning ship timber into wearable fabric makes an old rescue effort visible in a new way. It turns a conservation problem into a public conversation about reuse, loss, and value. That is why the project has drawn attention far beyond the usual archaeology circle.
Expert view from the project
The people behind the work say the result is meant to make history feel closer. Minna Koivikko of the Finnish Heritage Agency described underwater cultural heritage as something people rarely encounter in daily life, and said the dress helps bring that hidden past into view. Pirjo Kääriäinen, a material design expert at Aalto, said the project reflects a push to reduce waste and make people look at discarded material in a new way.
Public reaction and likely impact
The exact public response will become clearer as the dresses go on display, but the setting itself suggests strong interest. One dress is part of the Tomorrow’s Wardrobe exhibition at the Oulu Art Museum, which opened on May 22, 2026, and the twin piece will appear in Aalto University’s Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition from September 1 through October 30, 2026. The project has already spread quickly across science, design, and heritage media, which points to broad curiosity about what can be done with rescued materials.
The dress design also carries a clear visual message. Aalto said the surface pattern was inspired by wood grain and digital noise, and the dresses were knit as seamless, single pieces on a Shima Seiki machine. That means no fabric was wasted in cutting and sewing, which matches the zero-waste message behind the project.
What happens next
For now, the most visible next step is the exhibition schedule. The Oulu museum display is already underway, and the second dress will be shown at Aalto later in the year. Beyond that, the project may continue to influence how researchers think about cellulose-based waste streams, reclaimed wood, and the use of heritage material in design. Aalto said the team sees the work as part of a longer effort to study biomass as a raw material for textile fibres.
The wider lesson may reach beyond this single shipwreck. Aalto said the Ioncell® method can work with several cellulose-based materials, including recycled paper, cardboard, textile waste, and straw. That makes the project more than a one-off art piece. It also serves as a test case for how old materials can be given a second use without losing their story.
Common misunderstandings and wrong claims
It was not the whole ship that became clothing
Only surplus wood fragments from the wreck were used. The preserved parts of the ship were documented and conserved, while the leftover material was the part turned into fibre and then into dresses.
The dresses were not dyed to look old
The yarn was left in its natural brown tone. Aalto said the color came directly from the wreck wood, and the team chose not to bleach or dye it.
AI did not replace the designer
Aalto said the experimental program helped generate surface pattern ideas, but the dress was still shaped through design work by people at the university. The university described the process as co-creation, not a machine taking over the work.
Closing note
What started as a buried ship in a parking lot is now a dress on display and a fresh example of how heritage, science, and design can meet in one project. The Hahtiperä wreck may be centuries old, but its story is still moving forward in a form people can see, study, and discuss.
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