Inspired by the island: Are traditional costumes back in fashion? What designers brought from Heligoland

Traditional clothing may sound old-fashioned, but fashion designer and Hanover University professor Martina Glomb sees it as the opposite of fast fashion. Traditional garments are made to last, withstand wind and waves, and reveal how craftsmanship and materials shape clothing.

That idea drives “Seegang,” a project in which Hanover students are creating fashion inspired by Heligoland. The initiative began after Simone Arnhold, director of the Heligoland Museum, proposed a collaboration. In spring 2025, students visited the island, studied its traditional clothing and spoke with members of the local traditional costume association.

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It is about ‘slow fashion’, creating something unique that tells a story.

Glomb, who previously worked with fashion icon Vivienne Westwood for 12 years, says the project is not about reproducing an old look. “It is about ‘slow fashion’, creating something unique that tells a story,” she says. Her students are moving from historical references toward new forms rather than copying the originals.

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Traditional clothing often speaks to the present, and you can arrive at new forms.

Linus Koss, 24, created six looks for his bachelor’s project. He drew on the island’s red wool skirt and top, known as the Paik, and spent more than a week photographing the cliffs and the Lange Anna, Heligoland’s famous red sandstone sea stack. He printed the images onto fabric and assembled them into a dress.

The fragmented images also carry a warning. Koss connects them with a shrinking island and says the Lange Anna itself “will also crumble away.” A black bonnet in another design serves as a distant reminder of traditional clothing that has largely disappeared.

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The Lange Anna will also crumble away.