Self-Publishing | by rehyphen
Create your own Cassette Book Tape
Self-Publishing | by rehyphen
Create your own Cassette Book Tape
®
MusicCloth is an innovative up-cycle material made from discarded cassette tapes and video tapes.
The tapes consist of polyester film with metallic coatings, which would otherwise be considered waste and sustainable material. New sustainable material.
The material is woven in a basket weave pattern, which allows stability and durability. The cloth edge finished in a smooth finishing. Each MusicCloth® owns its own unique color combination and patterns. New sustainable material.
MusicCloth® is lightweight, sound-absorbing, and highly water-resistant.
New sustainable material

New sustainable material

"A brand new way of exchanging music."

/recognition
MusicCloth was developed over nine months of R&D by JJ Chuan and her team.
®
MusicCloth® swatches have been stored and are available in Material ConneXion worldwide libraries (Product Number: MC 7654-01) & University of Pennsylvania material lab. This sustainable material has been exhibited at TEDx as one of the ideas worth spreading. American Design Club's jury selected MusicCloth® tote bag as one of the modern methods of what it means to build an object. Kevin McCloud hand-picked Rehyphen as one of his Top 7 Green Heroes. Red Dot Design Museum Xiamen in China has included MusicCloth® in their museum collection in 2020.



What is rehyphen ?
®
rehyphen® : “re” is a prefix, used with the meaning again and again to indicate repetition, or with the meaning “backward”. “Hyphen” is a sign ( - ) used to join words to indicate that they have a combined meaning or that they are linked. rehyphen® is created with the aim of solving real-life problems.
100% of proceeds support rehyphen program for saving the e-waste.
/ our founder
Q: What are some of your earliest memories of cassette tapes? Can you describe the kind of nostalgia that cassette tapes evoke for you?
A: Sentimentally, cassette tapes were part of the medium of communication with my best friends in school ( who moved to Australia ) when smartphones and social media had not been invented yet. The international call was very expensive for a teenage student at that time. Therefore, we came out with a solution to record what we want to say, the music I composed, and our favorite song from the radio in cassette tapes, and sent it to each other. New sustainable material.
Q: Congratulation on being selected by Kevin McCloud as his Top Green Hero in 2018 & 2019! What makes you realize the urgency of saving our planet? Have you always been interested in sustainable fashion?
A: Thank you! I guess is my education and working experiences made me realized the urgency. I was fortunate to have this chance to work in Yellowstone National Park in summer 2005 when I was just 18 years old. It was my first time seeing animals free to roam in the park, and as a human from the city, I was entering into another world, a world that is dominated by animals, it made me learn how to respect animals and appreciate what mother nature had given to us. When I study at Parsons, I was selected as a recipient of the Yeohlee fellowship program which allows me to learn and practice sustainable fashion from Yeohlee directly. In 2014, I participated The People's climate march in New York, which determine to sell the world "a better world." New sustainable material.
Q: Why you decide to tackle waste? especially cassette?
A: I believe that music is a universal language that can tie everyone together, it has the power to change the world. According to a press from MIT, there are 56 million kilograms of PLASTIC used to make physical cassette tapes since it first introduced to the world in 1963. That is just part of the environmental cost in the music industry, not including vinyl and CD. I want to reimagine a new way of exchanging music by addressing our global waste issue and transform it into another new medium that inspires the global community.
Q: What are those challenging stage you face throughout your journey as a social enterprise?
A: When we started this "experiment", we only have ten cassette tapes on hand, but throughout these years with the help from different media, pop-up events, and workshops, we have collected more than 5000 tapes, and we are still collecting them. When we have enough supply to work on, we face difficulties in finding platforms to sell and also how to engage with our customers. I believe that this cycle will repeat and we will have more challenges to overcome.
Q: Why you describe yourself as a memory keeper?
A: The future of luxury is not about new products, markets, or ideas, it is about something deeper -- our memory. By weaving MusicCloth, we are able to keep a moment alive far beyond the moment itself and give the product a luxury integrity, an inner depth.
Q: Can you explain how's this new feature "Scan & Listen" works?
A: Starting from 2021, each MusicCloth city map and products will come along with a code which allow customer to scan and listen to our secret curated city playlist. Each playlist is carefully curated based on the city character and mood which supported by Spotify app and refresh it monthly. Some of our customer feedback to us that they missed the music in the cassette tapes, we hope this Scan & Listen feature allow people to connect more on sustainability topic in a brand new level. We want to bring the music back, especially in these tough days when the world is still fighting in the midst of pandemic. Music can not stop the virus, but it can at least heal our soul.
New sustainable material.
For all press enquiries and interview requests please contact jjchuanyx@rehyphen.org
Photo Credit: Corum Singapore
New sustainable material

Photo Credit to CORUM Singapore
Q: Why is it so important for brands to reduce their waste?
A: For today's consumers, green credentials weigh more heavily than ever. Through products and services, brands can help consumers achieve a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Waste is an ugly business, it is our responsibility to make it beautiful.
Q: What kind of item you made out of cassette?
A: We made home decor lifestyle product to fashion accessories and art pieces. We also have stationary product like Tweet tape- an up-cycle greeting card made of empty cassette tapes. Those tapes that we finished weaving, we don't throw it away, we up-cycle them again into tweet tapes, which customer could customised their tweet (140 characters) and we can help them to type on the end tapes as a customised greeting card. By the end of the day when we finished this project, all the cassette tapes that we collected from the community will eventually go back to the community, and become each individual's important memory.
Q: What does the future hold, and how does this new normal affect the future of your design or business?
A:As we come to the post COVID-19 world, consumer are slowing down their pace, and willing to pay more attention to human society and desire a better and sustainable world more than ever before.
Q: What if one day there is no more cassette tapes to weave?
A: If one day there is no more cassette tapes to weave. It means our mission completed! That is a good ending which we have helped reduced and eliminated part of the global waste and turn them into beautiful products which people could appreciate and use it today in a new form. It is also a good time for us to move on to the next project! We are looking forward to...
/ Exhibtion
Here are some selected exhibitions:

2022
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Boutique Fair Gifting Edition, Singapore, Nov.
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Art Jamel Shop, Dubai, UAE, Nov.
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World Cities Summit 2022, Singapore, Aug
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Fresh Music Award x rehyphen, online, July
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Not Just Library, Taiwan Taipei, June - Aug
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New Balance x JDsports x rehyphen, online tutorial, April
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Nautilus: Jassy Husk x rehyphen, Singapore, March
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Merry-go-round NFT at opensea, Jan

2021
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MTV Originals x rehyphen, Singapore, Dec
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Swatch x rehyphen, Singapore, Oct
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Kizuna Cafe x rehyphen, Singapore, Aug
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World Cities Summit, Singapore, July
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National Vending Gallery- Handmade, Singapore Design Center, June
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The Zall Bookstore x rehyphen, Singapore, March

2020
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Maison & Object Paris Virtual, Sept
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2020 Social Design Exhibition Asia: 100 Proposal for the future, Xiamen China, May- Aug
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Innovative Material, Premiere Vision Paris S/S21, Feb
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Designing for the senses, Architect at work, London, United Kingdom, Jan
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From waste to New Materials, Pitti Uomo 97 - Land Flag Exhibition, Florence Italy, Jan

2019
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Boutique Fair Gifting Edition, Singapore. Nov.
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One Good Thing, Dubai, UAE, Nov.
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5th STEP- Asian Undergraduate summit, NUS, July.
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Affordable Art Fair, Singapore, Dec.
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Circularity 2030, Responsible Business Forum, Singapore, Nov
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Singapore Women Entrepreneur Summit 2019, Singapore, July
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Singapore Airline, Krisshop with love x rehyphen, online store opening, June
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DBS marina regatta, workshops, Singapore, June
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Kind of Blue Record, Taiwan, April - July
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Sound & Vision, NYC Time Square, May
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Kevin McCloud's Top Green Heroes, Grand Design, London, United Kingdom, May
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Hitcheed, Singapore, Feb
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Grids & Circle, Singapore, Feb.

2018
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Airbnb HQ, Singapore, Dec.
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Auxana Christmas Celebration & Appreciation Dinner, Corum Watch, Singapore, Dec.
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Boutique Fair Gifting Edition, Singapore, Nov.
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Kevin McCloud's Top Green Heroes, Grand Design Live, London, United Kingdom, Oct.
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Phuture DJ Battle, Zouk Singapore x rehyphen, Sept.
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My Think City JB, Workshop, Malaysia, Sept.
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Shang Yue, Scene Shang Singapore, Sept.
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Art after Dark, Supermama Singapore, Sept.
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Corum watch x rehyphen, Singapore, Aug.
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Mulan Gallery, Singapore, Aug.
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Night Crawl workshop, Aliwal Art Centre, Singapore, Jul
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Soy source Factory opening day, Bangkok, Thailand, June.
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Built, NYC x Design, New York, USA, June.
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Climate Action Carnival by MEWR Singapore, Sustainable Singapore Gallery, June
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Plain Vanila Bakery Tiong Bahru, Singapore, June.
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Koncent Japan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April.
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Boutique Fair Spring Summer, Singapore, March.

2017
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Kapok, PMQ Hong Kong, Dec.
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Ppaper Taipei, Taiwan, Dec.
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Books Actually Tiong Bahru, Singapore, Dec.
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National Design Center, Singapore, Dec.
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Berlin Fashion week, Boum Berlin, Germany, Nov.
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SPH Creative workshop, Singapore Chinese Culture Centre, Singapore, Oct.
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LX factory market, Lisbon, Portugal, Oct.
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TEDx Sungai Sengget, Johor Bahru, Malaysia, Oct.
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The Mix Place, Shanghai, China, March - Aug
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Supermama Flagship store, Singapore, Jul
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Supermama Design Mart, Gilman Barrack SG, June.
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Original Object, Nanjing, May
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MAAD night Red Dot Design Museum, Singapore, Feb