“Some of my earliest memories are of my grandma Jumei sewing in the courtyard of our old house. Under the blazing sun, she would sit in her bamboo chair, stitching traditional clothes for the elderly villagers or mending buttons for neighbors who came and went. I often played nearby, watching her work and listening to the rhythm of her needle, accompanied by scattered conversations about everyday life.
When I was five, she made me a traditional cross-front outfit using a piece of blue cotton fabric with white floral patterns. The fabric was soft, comfortable, and gentle against my skin. Over time, it faded with each wash, becoming softer and more familiar. That piece of clothing is long gone, but I can still remember the texture of the fabric—its warmth, its softness, and even its faint scent. I can recall the feeling of wearing it in different seasons. My memories of fabric are inextricably linked with my memories of her.
In the years that followed, I became obsessed with touching and collecting various fabrics, as if I were searching for that original sensation—the feeling of wearing that blue cotton cross-front outfit. When I encounter garments made of exceptional fabric, I find joy in taking care of them: washing them, letting them dry in the sun, ironing them, folding them. Each time I wear them, it feels like reconnecting with an old memory—slightly changed, yet always familiar.”
Jumei is a clothing brand inspired by the idea of ‘reviving old fabrics,’ named in honor of the founder’s grandmother, Jumei.
