TIDES OF HERITAGE: A Contemporary Love Letter to the Finnish Archipelago

Inspired by people who live their labor—fishermen, lighthouse keepers, sailors—the
collection embodies resilience, repair, and deeply worn beauty. Rooted in the rugged
beauty of the Finnish archipelago, Peik Westerlund’s BA thesis collection explores
the intertwined lives, culture, and history of coastal communities in Finland. Drawing
inspiration from archival research into historical workwear, navy uniforms, and
traditional sails, this collection fuses the raw essence of the sea with a distinctly
modern edge.

“The sea has its own rhythm. A certain calmness mixed with the unavoidable feeling
of smallness. I wanted this collection to feel like stepping into that slow, salty world.”

The collection features both menswear and womenswear, all handmade with a
strong emphasis on materials and craft. Natural fibers such as wool, linen, and
cotton form the foundation, complemented by leather, upcycled fur and technical
fabrics. With references to maritime uniforms and gear, the work explores how
garments function in tough environments, and how they evolve through wear, repair,
and time.
Sustainability plays a key role—through material reuse, digital patternmaking with
CLO-3D, and minimizing waste in the prototyping phase. The creative process has
been intuitive and hands-on, guided by the designer’s own memories and
experiences sailing the Finnish archipelago.

“Using digital design tools such as CLO-3D helped me cut down on waste and time
used in the prototyping phase, but it also made me rethink how I approach form—
freed from all physical restrictions, I was able to focus on my key design elements
and on bringing them to life.”

New textile manipulations emerged through experimentation, including felting wool
into sculptural forms and developing a sail-inspired textile from organza, glass-fiber
net, and liquid latex. Technical nylon ripstop fabric has been heat-formed into
wrinkled shapes through Shibori manipulation. Leather and wool pieces are
accented with heavy duty metal hardware.

“There’s beauty in repair, in patina, in how clothing adapts to life. That’s what I tried
to express through texture and form.”

Peik Westerlund
peik.westerlund@aalto.fi
+358 400 997669
@peik.westerlund