All Nijmegen professors' gowns are custom-made. One trend is the personalised lining. What if a professor wants the logo of Queen on the lining? Gown maker Herbert Karthaus says it's no problem.

Oh, Angela Merkel’s kappa! Herbert Karthaus still flinches when he sees photos of it. The red cloth draped over her shoulders during the awarding of her Honorary Doctorate in 2014 was made in his Da Vince atelier. With love and precision. But what happened?

‘Security did not allow her to close the kappa. They considered it a risk, in case someone grabbed her from behind, for example. But we weren’t told about this. As usual, we had added a hook and eye to fasten it. When closed, the heavy embroidery with the Radboud University logo hangs perfectly straight.’

Karthaus grabs a kappa from a hanger to demonstrate what he means. Gracefully finished collar, sturdy embroidery… His eyes sparkle. Pure symmetry! He then shows a newspaper photo of the former chancellor with the cape draped over her shoulders. It looks as if she biked into the wind wearing it.

‘So sloppy! If they had just told us, I would have made a subtle, invisible Velcro fastening that would instantly release if someone pulled on the collar.’

Right. Time for coffee. Karthaus calms down. Because, actually, he has a very fun job. Merkel’s cape was an incident. And hopefully, at home in front of the mirror, she tried it on again with the clasp fastened so she could see how beautifully it was made. Most of the garments leaving his workshop are gowns. For Radboud University alone, he has made hundreds. He knows the sizes of all the professors because he measured each of them individually. At their homes, in the Aula on campus, or here in his atelier in Sint Agatha (near Cuijk).

‘I don’t do the sewing myself; we have seamstresses for that. They all have a couture background; it’s very specialised work.’

Ten centimeters

No two gowns are the same. Naturally, because they are all custom-made, but also because each university has its own design. an exhausting number of pleats at the back, Utrecht has different coloured stripes on the cuffs referencing the faculty, Nijmegen has fringes on the sleeves and a red piping down the front.

That red ribbon cannot be bought in any shop, it has to be specially made. Colour code Pantone 1805C. And then in a specific matte finish determined in consultation with a design agency.

Strict regulations govern the appearance of robes. They aren’t only worn by professors but also by lawyers and public prosecutors, for example. Karthaus spreads some papers on the table: the ‘robe decree’ issued by the Ministry of Justice in 1997, signed by then-Minister Winnie Sorgdrager. Among other requirements for the ‘official attire,’ it states that ’the lower edges of the sleeves must be turned up to a width of 20 centimeters.’ Additionally, the garment must hang about 10 centimeters above the ground.

‘I’m always happy with the word approximately,’ says Karthaus with a laugh. ‘It gives me some flexibility.’

Robe wearers often struggle with their outfit when climbing stairs. A robe that hangs slightly higher prevents accidents since you’re less likely to trip over it.

The robes for Radboud University are also made to hang about ten centimeters above the ground. They follow a set pattern, which cannot be deviated from. Though the red piping was added to the design later, and a few years ago, the beadle gave Karthaus the freedom to create a revised style for women.

The robes for Radboud University are also made to hang about ten centimeters above the ground. They follow a set pattern, which cannot be deviated from. Though the red piping was added to the design later, and a few years ago, the Registrar gave Karthaus the freedom to create a revised style for women.

‘There were more and more female professors. The old cut has a rather deep neckline. No problem if you wear a shirt underneath, but for women, it often looks a bit bare. So I created a design with a Máxima collar.’

By that, he means a collar that extends to the neck. It provides more coverage for the wearer. He also added darts to the design ‘so the robe falls more elegantly on the female body.’

A new trend that excites the robe-maker is personalising linings. Professors can choose a color they like or go further and have fabric printed with a pattern that suits them. Think of the text of the law code for a lawyer.

‘Someone who had lost a child wanted a personal memory printed on the lining. And there was a professor of sign language who had various hand signs printed on the fabric.’

Karthaus scrolls through the images on his phone. A robe with cross-sections of organs on the inside appears (from a pathologist) and one with the Queen logo. The advanced printing machine can make anything. Professors often choose to decorate the inside of their caps in the same way. ‘That personal touch can have great emotional value.’

And for the die-hard vegans among the professors, he devised an animal-friendly material to replace the leather inner rim of the cap.

Arjen Lubach

Until 15 years ago, Radboud University’s gowns were made by the well-known atelier Stadelmaier. In a picturesque church in Berg en Dal, the tailors also sewed priestly garments destined for Rome. The owner, Aart Stadelmaier, was called ’the Hugo Boss of liturgical vestments’ by the pope at the time. Herbert Karthaus, from a textile family, worked for the company as a producer back then. Since Stadelmaier’s bankruptcy, he has been in direct contact with universities.

‘One of the most enjoyable assignments was a very tiny robe’

In the Netherlands, there are only about four ateliers that make academic robes, so the market is small. But Karthaus has no shortage of work. The expansion of the ius promovendi (allowing non-professors to wear robes during promotions) has been good for business.

‘But surely one of the most fun assignments I had was a very small gown for Nijmegen’s Faculty of Law,’ he says. Several of these child-sized robes are kept at the university. They are used when children visit or when the lawyers visit schools.

And for professors who need to travel with their robes or carry them on a bike, he designed a custom bag. On the atelier floor, he demonstrates – ‘Huup, Huup, Barbatruc’ – the ingenious design: a kind of garment bag in which the robe can be folded without creasing. Roll it up, close it, and sling it over your shoulder. ‘A laptop fits perfectly in the front pocket.’

Last summer, Arjen Lubach received an honorary doctorate from the Open University. The black cape, shaped like a sash, accompanying it was made in Herbert Karthaus’s atelier. ‘It’s fun to see,’ he says, pulling up a YouTube video of the ceremony. He wasn’t there himself, but it satisfies him to see that the TV presenter wears his cape properly. No sloppiness like with Angela Merkel.