Pei-Wen Jin x UNIQLO: ocean-inspired embroidery for clothing longevity

Redress Alum Pei-Wen Jin was selected from a shortlist of 24 Redress Alumni to be part of an Artist-at-Sea mission last summer, embarking on a six-day scientific expedition focused on the pressing issue of microplastics. Working alongside other artists and marine scientists aboard the research vessel Falkor (too), Pei-Wen’s journey in the Pacific near the Panama Canal was part of the Ocean Rising initiative with Schmidt Ocean Institute and Nekton, which connects culture with the ocean.

“What struck me the most was learning that different types of microplastics pose varying threats to marine life. For example, microplastics from textiles, unlike fragment-like plastics, often appear as long fibres. These fibres can entangle in the digestive tracts of marine organisms, causing physical blockages and injuries, or wrap around respiratory organs, leading to suffocation… It was like a wake-up call, making me reconsider the accountability in my design decisions… The ocean bears the consequences of every choice we make,” shared Pei-Wen.

Inspired by her time at sea, Pei-Wen partnered with UNIQLO to create a showpiece as well as smaller designs for consumers to add to their garments, inspiring longevity through repair, refresh, or remake.

Drawing on her expertise in modular geometric design and patented line ‘The Tangram’, Pei-Wen created a set of tangram-like puzzle patterns inspired by marine shapes. These patterns divide a rectangle into four oceanic modules, allowing for countless combinations to portray various oceanic contours and marine life. The 10 designs are for UNIQLO’s embroidery machines, to be rolled out across 18 RE.UNIQLO Studios in the UK and all major European cities from August 2024, and Asia later this autumn.

Using secondhand UNIQLO clothing as her medium, Pei-Wen transformed the fabric into these modules, assembling them into a large-scale textile artwork. This piece embodies Pei-Wen’s vision of oceanic shapes. It can be admired from afar, with hidden marine creatures waiting to be discovered, or worn directly, symbolising immersion in the ocean and integrating bodily movements into the shapes of the sea.

This piece was exhibited at an Ocean Rising Fashion Show Hotel Casa del Mar in Santa Monica in May 2024 and will be on display in UNIQLO’s flagship store in Regent Street London throughout August and September 2024.

OCEAN RISING - INSPIRED BY THE OCEAN

Ocean Rising is an alliance that unites ocean science, conservation, expeditions and storytelling with arts, fashion, sport, music and other cultural areas. It partners with experts in different cultural sectors on events that highlight the ocean in creative and innovative ways. Established by Schmidt Ocean Institute and Nekton, it aims to integrate the ocean seamlessly into the fabric of everyday life — igniting curiosity for our undersea world and cultivating a global community dedicated to the celebration and protection of our ocean. Ocean Rising works with collaborators from all cultural spheres who lead and inspire Ocean awareness raising interventions in their area of expertise.  Each activity increases Ocean awareness in that cultural sector and seeds more interventions. By working together, ripples of Ocean awareness turn into waves.