Wearable Art

The ins and outs

Author

Jessica Jenyns
January 28, 2025

My Wearable Art journey started in 2019. I had made a needle-felt landscape and was playing about with how it could be used in a more ‘practical’ way… I was wearing a navy sweater at the time and pressed the landscape to my chest. It looked incredible.

Thus my Wearable Art came into fruition.

Work in Progress - Orkney Landscape Commission

It began with landscapes, but in 2023 evolved into something very different indeed. I wanted to make a jumper, for myself, which was fun and weird and colourful. I thought of Octopus Arms (not tentacles!) giving me a hug, then the body appeared on the back of the jumper…

‘The Original’

Queue Social Media. Who knew so many people loved Octopusses so much?! I have lost count of how many Octopus jumpers I have made by this point and they have gone on to inspire Deep Sea commissions of Dumbo Octopusses and Lion’s Mane Jellyfish and Jaguars!

Sustainability has always been at the heart of Jessica Jenyns Artist and using secondhand clothing for my Wearable Art has never been up for debate. Each secondhand piece is unique, then you incorporate the art and it adds even more individuality. I have always loved combing charity shops; they are interesting places with a myriad of choices, as well as being a better choice for the planet:

  • 3 out of 5 Fast Fashion garments end up in landfill

  • Fast Fashion garments account for over a third of ocean microplastics

  • 170 million children are used in the labour of Fast Fashion garments ¹

Fast Fashion is terrifying. There are so many garments taken to landfill which end up polluting our beautiful world, not to mention the catastrophic effect it has on people living in the Global South. Countries like Kenya and Tanzania import secondhand clothing which is relevant to their people and economy. However, the quality of the clothing is so bad or the items are so soiled that they are completely unusable. The Global South is forced to deal with the consequences of Fast Fashion which the Global North has pushed upon it²: How Fast Fashion is using the Global South as a dumping ground for textile waste

I get overwhelmed by it all. Constantly. In using secondhand clothing in my art and turning your preloved garments into reloved garments, in fixing jumpers and giving them new life, I am trying. If you have a garment at the back of your wardrobe which you loved once but don’t reach for anymore, maybe it can be turned into something you find beautiful again!

The number one question I get asked about my pieces is whether they can be washed, and my answer is always ‘YES!’. Clothes are so over-washed and if they are made from synthetic material, thousands of microplastics are released into the water with every wash. I try and use natural fibres wherever possible to avoid this, especially Wool due to its superhero qualities (google it, it is fascinating). My Wearable Art is a reminder to look after your clothes and not waste water with over-washing. You can spot clean your Wearable Art and gently hand-wash it (leaving it to dry flat). You can use the washing machine as well if you absolutely must, turning your garment inside out and popping it in a pillowcase or wash bag, using the lowest spin cycle and the coolest temperature (there is usually a Wool/delicates setting on washing machines).

If you are interested in commissioning a piece of my Wearable Art, get in touch: [email protected]. I have a limited number of spaces each month, but I am also making new pieces all the time. If you would like to stay in the know about when these pieces become available, sign up to my monthly newsletter:

Thank you so much for reading! If you have any questions, you know what to do.

JJ x