Tilda Wallius

"This is not about nostalgia—it’s about what stays with us after we’ve been left behind."In their BA graduate collection, Tilda Wallius explores themes of abandonment, value,and transformation through intuitive, materially driven processes. The collection drawsinspiration from the act of dumpster diving—reclaiming what others havediscarded—and expresses this through sculptural garments that are layered, wrapped,or encased in new form. Using a method Wallius describes as "coating," each piece conceals or preserves aformer structure beneath the surface. A trash bag becomes a dress lined with gold silkand reinforced with a hidden corset. A top is constructed from hundreds of pistachioshells, hand-attached to create organic armour. A graffiti-coated denim skirt floats awayfrom the body with tension in the knees Every garment employs its own system oftension, support, or collapse, echoing the emotional labour of carrying memory, class,and survival in the body. "I work intuitively—shapes and meanings often emerge from the act of making, not fromplanning." Wallius works almost entirely by hand, favouring slowness, emotional precision, andmaterial presence over industrial finish. Garments often begin as found or discardedobjects—transformed through sculptural intuition rather than conventionalpatternmaking. This approach avoids literal interpretations of upcycling, instead offeringgarments that hold poetic weight, tension, and quiet resistance. "Beauty is present, but cracked. Structures sag, hold, or hover." The visual language of the collection references class differences through intentionalcontrasts in shape and material. Some garments mimic bourgeois codes—structuredsilhouettes, pearl embellishments, velvet, and organza—while others deliberately evoketrash bags, insulation wrap, and makeshift solutions. These contrasts embody thetension between aspiration and abandonment, questioning what is considered tasteful,elegant, or worthy. In this world, bougie meets trashy—creating a hybrid space wherenew values emerge. Finders Keepers asks: what is left behind—and what is still worth carrying? Tilda Walliustilda.wallius@aalto.fi