A Shipwreck, but Make It Fashion: Researchers Transformed Wooden Fragments From a 17th-Century Shipwreck Into a Pair of Stylish Maxi Dresses

Scientists at Aalto University in Finland saved pieces of the Hahtiperä wreck and turned them into textile fibers

Sarah Kuta | Daily Correspondent

May 26, 2026 5:20 p.m.

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In 2019, crews renovating a hotel in Oulu, Finland, made a surprising discovery: the remains of a 17th-century cargo ship beneath the hotel’s parking lot. The long-hidden vessel was named the “Hahtiperä wreck” after Oulu’s first harbor.

Now, researchers at Finland’s Aalto University have incorporated some of the historic ship into two maxi dresses. They transformed the centuries-old wood into a fiber, which they spun into a tannish-brown yarn with a subtle sheen. Then, with a little help from artificial intelligence, they used the yarn to knit a pair of long, sleeveless frocks.

After the Hahtiperä wreck was discovered, conservationists spent years documenting and preserving as much of the structure as they could. But they couldn’t save everything, and they ended up with some leftover pieces of wood that were destined for the trash.

Minna Koivikko, a maritime archaeologist with the Finnish Heritage Agency, wondered how to give the wooden fragments a second life. Researchers at Aalto University’s Bioinnovation Center were intrigued.

“It’s wonderful to work in a community that combines technical expertise with the enthusiasm to pursue ideas that might initially sound a little crazy,” Pirjo Kääriäinen, a material design expert at Aalto University who worked on the project, says in a university statement.

Scientists decided to try turning the wood into a textile fiber using a special eco-friendly process developed at Aalto in partnership with Helsinki University. Known as the “Ioncell” method, the technology uses a recyclable, nonflammable ionic liquid to turn cellulose-based materials, such as old newspapers or cardboard boxes, into fiber.

“We want to reduce the use of virgin raw materials and the waste of natural resources,” says Kääriäinen in the statement. “A shipwreck is, of course, an exceptional case, but it is also a story that makes people pause and appreciate materials in a new way. 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?”

First, researchers removed the exterior layer of the shipwreck wood to expose its inner core, which they found to be surprisingly free of impurities. Then, they shredded the core and turned it into a pulp. Next, they converted the wood pulp into strong, silky fibers, which then spun into yarn. They decided not to dye or bleach the yarn, so that the shipwreck’s original color could shine.

From there, the yarn was transferred to the university’s knitting studio, where designers used an experimental A.I. program to help develop a pattern for the two identical knit dresses. The surface of each dress features a design inspired by “wood grain and digital noise,” according to the statement.

They used a specialized knitting machine to produce the dresses, creating two seamless forms without letting an inch of the yarn go to waste. One eye-catching garment is now on display at the Oulu Art Museum, while the other is slated to be exhibited at the university in September.

Meanwhile, other parts of the Hahtiperä shipwreck also live on in the form of a large, hand-shaped art installation called Ahti’s Palm. The piece was designed by Kalle Salonen, a shipwreck enthusiast, and assembled by volunteers.

“The artwork is an outstretched hand from underwater cultural heritage that we seldom encounter in our everyday surroundings,” according to the Finnish Heritage Agency. “It reminds us of the passage of time and stands as a tribute to traditional craftsmanship.”

Shipwrecks are famous for preserving an array of artifacts, from gold coins to gravestone slabs, but fragile textiles rarely survive long beneath the sea. Still, well-preserved garments occasionally turn up—and, when they do, they usually make a splash.

In 2014, divers exploring the Wadden Sea discovered a chest filled with clothing that appears to have belonged to an English noblewoman. They recovered the garments—including a silk dress, a velvet purse and various underclothes—from a centuries-old shipwreck near Texel Island in the Netherlands. The silk dress and other finds from the wreck are on display at the Kaap Skil Museum on the island.

“The thought that this dress was on the bottom of the sea for centuries is insane,” Corina Hordijk, the museum’s artistic director, told the New York Times’ Claire Moses in 2023. “The last person who touched it before this was probably the person who wore it.”

Divers also recovered a pair of jeans from a passenger’s trunk in an 1857 shipwreck. They probably belonged to an Oregon merchant and veteran of the Mexican-American War who survived the sinking of the S.S. Central America during a hurricane off the coast of North Carolina. After spending more than a century at the bottom of the ocean, the pants sold at auction for $114,000 in 2022.

One dress is on display as part of the “Tomorrow’s Wardrobe” exhibition at the Oulu Art Museum in Oulu, Finland, through at least September 27, 2026. The other will be featured in the “Designs for a Cooler Planet” exhibition at Aalto University from September 1, 2026, through October 30, 2026.

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Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.