Tainan Embroidery 护身符 by Yi-Pei Wu is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award 铜奖 in 礼品设计 Competition Category.

铜礼品· 2026

Tainan Embroidery 护身符

by Yi-Pei Wu

Client: Tainan Embroidery Trade Association

A' Design Award 铜奖 Winner in 礼品 Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Tainan Embroidery 护身符

《台南刺绣》是与台湾台南的机器刺绣工厂合作制作的护身符与手提袋系列。神像、雕花柱、旧绣帐等庙宇元素被重新描绘为现代图案。龙纹护身符以四万针的高密度绣工结合印刷工艺,呈现细致鳞片;爱情护身符则运用内衣蕾丝技术,并在内层网袋中盛装香灰。手提袋以工厂剩余绣线纺成的循环再生纱线制成。该系列将传统护身符转化为融入日常生活的文化物件。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 铜奖

Tainan Embroidery 护身符是 A' Design Award 铜奖得主，这是授予以创造力、独创性和敏锐见长的杰出设计的极具声望的认可。铜奖得主是技艺娴熟、创意惊人的作品，印证了其设计师丰富的经验、想象力与机智。预计Tainan Embroidery 护身符将成为一件备受推崇、令人钦佩且被珍爱的物品，兼具显著的专业性与创新性。这件赢得 A' Design Award 铜奖的设计融入艺术、科学、设计和技术领域的最佳实践，并因注重细节而出类拔萃。Tainan Embroidery 护身符出色地满足需求，触动渴望，迷住情感，并吸引好奇心。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Tainan Embroidery unites factories in Tainan to showcase industrial excellence. Highlights include an amulet with 40000 stitches and another using delicate lingerie lace technology, a unique cross-industry application. The tote bag, designed specifically for temple ritual gifts, is made from circular yarn up cycled from factory leftover threads. Merging religious heritage with upcoming artists, Tainan Embroidery transforms invisible Original Equipment Manufacturer into a cultural brand, turning traditional amulets into collectible high-end art.
Dimensions & Packaging: Tote bag: 360 mm x 120 mm x 180 mm
Tiger Deity amulet: 105 mm x 8 mm x 80 mm
Cloud amulet: 100 mm x 5 mm x 75 mm
Love amulet: 45 mm x 3 mm x 130 mm
Wisdom amulet: unfold 45 mm x 5 mm x 235 mm, fold 45 mm x 8 mm x 70 mm
Dragon amulet: 65 mm x 5 mm x 75 mm
Watch amulet: Radius 50 mm, Depth 12 mm
Tags: Cultural Heritage, Contemporary Amulet, Sustainable Bag, Machine Embroidery, Upcycled Textiles, Wearable Art, Spiritual Design, Oriental Aesthetics, Cross Industry Manufacturing
Production Technology: The lingerie-tech Love amulet features a monolithic hollow design, integrating the cord through iterative prototyping, with inner mesh pockets for incense ashes. The Dragon edition combines 40,000-stitch density with printing for delicate scales. The tote uses circular yarn, which is up-cycled factory remnants, overlaid with translucent mesh to create a cloud-like effect. To secure these recycled threads, a dense embroidery layout was engineered, turning material constraints into a modern aesthetic.
Design Challenge: The core challenge was resolving complex cross-disciplinary conflicts under severe time constraints:

Craft Constraints: Adapting modern design to strict small-scale embroidery limits.

Mindset Shift: Persuading struggling factories to prioritize R&D over a cost-driven OEM mentality.

Sacred Innovation: Balancing novel aesthetics with temple traditions and religious sanctity.

All achieved under a highly compressed grant schedule.
Research: This research investigates the intersection of cultural heritage and industrial manufacturing. Through ethnographic studies and technical consultations, sacred motifs like the One-Character Plaque are translated into a modern visual language. Key innovations include sustainable circular yarns and high-density hollow-out lace techniques. User-centric methodologies ensure optimal ergonomics, creating a seamless alignment between spiritual symbols and contemporary lifestyle.
Inspiration: Tainan has been the embroidery hub of Taiwan. While many offshored, few resilient factories stayed, preserving high quality machine embroidery. Yet, facing the cheap competitors, these makers need to evolve from suppliers into recognised brands. Hence Tainan Embroidery is launched, partnering with Tiantan Temple, we innovate their most stable demand: religious textiles. Artists deconstructed temple visual heritage, such as deity statues, handcrafted pillars, and ancient tapestries, into modern motifs.
Project Duration: The project started in July 2025 and finished in December 2025 in Tainan, Taiwan.
Operation Flow: The design encourages tactile engagement through ritualistic interactions. The Wisdom amulet features a hidden lace element that users can pull out and tuck back, symbolising the unveiling of wisdom. The Tiger Deity amulet includes a detachable cloak, allowing users to interact with the deity’s protective layers. These playful, transformative elements bridge the gap between traditional sacred objects and modern lifestyle accessories, enhancing the user's bond with the culture.
Team Members: Design Strategy: Ting-Han Chen
Strategy Consultant: Chung-Jen Lu
Creative Director: Yi-Pei Wu
Artist: Yu-Ning Zhou
Artist: Szu-Yu Hou
Artist: Shang-Ru Tsai
Image Credits: Image #1: Creator Yi-Pei Wu / the amulet set, 2025
Image #2: Photographer Felan Wu / the up-cycled yarn tote bag, 2025
Image #3: Photographer Yi-Pei Wu / the cloud amulet, 2025
Image #4: Photographer Yi-Pei Wu / the dragon amulet, 2025
Image #5: Photographer Felan Wu / the Tiger Deity amulet, 2025