design ·

Weaving the Songs of Yesteryear Into the Hopes for the Future — J.J. Chuan From Rehyphen® Upcycles Old Cassette Tapes to Create MusicCloth®

BY SCENE SHANG

J.J. Chuan fashions a dress made from MusicCloth®. The water-resistant material is lightweight and reflects light beautifully.



LOVE AND MUSIC helped inspire J.J. Chuan from Rehyphen® to create MusicCloth®, a fabric made by weaving old cassette tapes. What J.J. once used to stay in touch with her friends overseas, and what instantly reminds most of us of “old school music”, is now being repurposed into art, fashion, and lifestyle products in an effort to raise awareness for the rising amount of e-waste.

Read on for our heart-to-heart with designer J. J. Chuan as we find out what goes into this meaningful, global movement.

PLEASE TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF. WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU DO?

I am the founder of Rehyphen® and was appointed by Grand Design TV host Kevin McCloud as one of his Top 7 Green heroes in 2018 & 2019. My team and I pioneer in collecting discarded cassette tapes and weaving them into pieces of MusicCloth® as an effort to reduce and eliminate plastic waste, while giving the product a new life.

This material applies for home & decor lifestyle products, fashion accessories to art pieces. My MusicCloth® is collected as a museum collection in Red Dot Design Museum Xiamen China as one of the 100 global social designs for the future.


Full of heritage and memories, MusicCloth® Paper Cut Animals - Fishes elevates your living space with grace and elegance.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY TO DESIGN, WHAT ABOUT DESIGN DREW YOU IN?

Today, we are fast evolving into a culture that primarily downloads and consumes entertainment digitally. Analogue media such as cassette tapes and video tapes are slowly being phased out. According to a report from MIT Press, there are 56 million kilograms of PLASTIC used to make physical cassette tapes since it was first introduced to the world in 1963.

Sentimentally, cassette tapes were part of the medium of communication with my best friends, who moved to Australia, when smartphones and social media had not been invented yet. That period of time, international phone calls were too expensive for a teenage student. Therefore, we came up with a solution to record what we want to say, the music that I composed, and our favourite song that I listened to from the radio, into a cassette tape, and sent it to each other.

All MusicCloth® Paper Cut Animals come with an auspicious saying, blessing anyone who receives it. Framed in a walnut coloured stand, behind each piece is a label bearing the name of the original cassette tape which was used.



MusicCloth®Paper Cut Animals - Rabbits SGD$179.00

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IT'S BEEN A FRUITFUL COUPLE OF YEARS SINCE THE START OF REHYPHEN® AND MUSICCLOTH® IN 2016; A SENTIMENTAL PIECE THAT COMBINES NOSTALGIA, MUSIC, AND UPCYCLING. HOW MUCH DO THESE TOPICS CONTINUE TO INSPIRE YOU? HAVE THERE BEEN NEW INSPIRATIONS SINCE THEN?

Every cassette tape donated from the community inspires me. Every time I receive a donation from the public or an organization, I will open up the box and flip through every single tape. Often I will find music that I have not listened to before but love at the first sight when I search them online.


The Scan and Listen function launched in 2021 and allows you to listen to a special spotify playlist when you scan the given QR code. (For selected products only, art pieces available at SCENE SHANG are included!)


“We believe that music is a universal language that can change the world. In rehyphen®, we are reframing the way we see waste because we encourage public to reimagine our waste into beautiful memories.”


WE LOVE THE NEW SCAN AND LISTEN FUNCTION! TELL US MORE ABOUT THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN YOUR LIFE, WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO WHEN YOU WORK?

Since we launched our new Scan and Listen feature, we segregate our music playlist by city names. For work music, it will depend on that day’s mood, whether I want to be in either Paris or New York or just stay in Singapore. I will click on that city playlist and play the music as if I was there. If I want to focus on thoughts and process, I will usually play classical music with no lyrics.


Skilfully woven MusicCloth® Paper Cut Animals - Fishes is a meaningful addition to Fabian’s wall of framed heritage art. The phrase: 招财进宝 is an auspicious saying for prosperity.



MusicCloth®Paper Cut Animals - Fishes SGD$179.00

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WHAT DID YOU WISH TO ACHIEVE WITH YOUR WORK? HOW DID YOU ENVISION CUSTOMERS TO REACT AND EXPERIENCE MUSICCLOTH®?

We believe that music is a universal language that can change the world. In rehyphen®, we are reframing the way we see waste because we encourage the public to reimagine our waste into beautiful memories.
I hope our customers could have a complete experience of MusicCloth®. From donating their tapes, and knowing that the waste can be made into something fashionable and intriguing, to joining our workshop to have a hands on experience, while having a piece of MusicCloth® home decor or lifestyle products at home, and also enjoy the music we specially curated for that city, to sending the tweet tapes (up-cycling greeting card made of cassette tapes) to someone they love and pass the sustainability message to their loved one at the same time.


Mesmerizing prints from the experienced and skilled Rehyphen® team. Check out their other products, they do more than paper cut art!



MUSICCLOTH® HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO MANY FORMS; FROM BAGS AND CLOTHES TO ART. OUT OF ALL YOUR CREATIONS, WHICH ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF, AND WHY?

Every piece sold makes us proud, because every piece of MusicCloth®, no matter the size, has its own unique colour combination and design pattern. You will not find the same piece in the world.

“Know what is the world language, what is trending and what are people concerned about now because we are living in a small world and everything is connected.”


A symmetrical pair of auspicious cranes are cut out skillfully by artisans, wishing blessings of fortune, longevity, peace and health (福寿安康) upon the receiver. View MusicCloth Paper Cut Animals - Cranes and other designs at our store destinations.



MusicCloth®Paper Cut Animals - Cranes SGD$179.00

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WHO ARE YOUR DESIGN HEROES?

My mum is my design hero. She is a superwoman and always gives me the best advice in my design and in life.

Inspired by the traditional basket weaving pattern, the weaving process of MusicCloth® is intricate and arduous. Take time to appreciate the colours and patterns that are unique to each and every creation from Rehyphen®.



IF YOU HAD AN UNLIMITED AMOUNT OF CASSETTE TAPES TO MAKE MUSICCLOTH®, IS THERE A PROJECT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO?

We would like to create rehyphen® community in every major cities and educate community there about the importance of upcycling design.


MUSICCLOTH® AND BEYOND, DO YOU HAVE A DREAM PROJECT AND WHAT IS IT?

My dream project is to complete our MusicCloth® world tour and collaborate with more musicians in different cities to use music to spread the sustainability message to the public.
“Every cassette tape donated from the community inspires me.”


HOW DO YOU FIND MOTIVATION TO PUSH THROUGH THE LABOUR-INTENSIVE PROCESS OF MAKING MUSICCLOTH®? WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING?

Our support from the community is our main motivation to push through the obstacle and keep going.


DO YOU HAVE OTHER WORDS OF ADVICE FOR OTHER DESIGNERS OR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN DESIGN?

Know what the world language is, what is trending and what are people concerned with now because we are living in a small world and everything is connected.

MusicCloth® Paper Cut Animals - Bull features a charging bull with a pair of auspicious sayings, perfect for the Year of The Ox. 满院春光 - The light of springtime gently dapples through a bounteous bamboo grove. 壮志凌云 - Renewed aspirations soar amongst billowing clouds.



MusicCloth®Paper Cut Animals - Bull SGD$179.00

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SO … WHAT’S NEXT — ARE YOU WORKING ON ANYTHING NOW?

We are currently working on NEON MusicCloth®. Neon MusicCloth® is a very rare material which is weaved out of colourful end tapes from pre-loved cassette tapes. 99% of end tapes come in white or with printed record company’s name.
Only 1 out of 100 cassette tapes found in our archive has neon end tapes which makes it exceptionally precious. Our artisans spent years to collect and the process required extra time and effort to weave this cloth. Each Neon MusicCloth® will receive a curated playlist for space adventure.

SEE MORE: Rehyphen® Full Collection at SCENE SHANG

How do you bring culture into your home? Share with us.
@sceneshang @sceneshanghomes
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