Sea Beyond at Prada Rong Zhai: Prada Group brings ocean literacy to Shanghai

This October, Prada Group turned its Shanghai cultural landmark Prada Rong Zhai into a site of oceanic exploration. For 10 days (October 10 to 19), the century-old residence has been transformed into an immersive “Ocean & Climate Village,” marking the first time Prada Group’s global sustainability project Sea Beyond landed in China’s financial capital. Launched in 2019 in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, Sea Beyond is Prada Group’s flagship environmental education project focused on ocean literacy — the understanding of the ocean’s influence on people and people’s influence on the ocean. Since inception, it has reached more than 35,000 students worldwide, supported several scientific projects, trained 14,000 Prada employees via VR tools and the UN-endorsed AWorld app, and recently launched a multi-partner trust fund to finance ocean preservation projects globally. At Rong Zhai, the program merged Prada Group’s cultural acumen with scientific engagement to localize the conversation for Chinese audiences. Over 7,000 visitors have attended so far, reflecting a growing appetite for sustainability-driven storytelling among China’s increasingly eco-curious consumers. From UNESCO to Shanghai: The expanding reach of ocean literacy What began as an educational initiative has evolved into a multifaceted global platform, whose core is education, but now also spans scientific research, policy advocacy, and community engagement activities with the ocean at the center. Among the most recent activities: in June, Sea Beyond played a central role at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, co-hosting at the “Beyond Borders: Ocean Futures” UNESCO pavilion a series of panels and workshops uniting marine scientists, policymakers, and environmental photographers. On this occasion, Prada Group also unveiled a partnership with Coral Gardeners to expand reef restoration worldwide. The collaboration aims to help the non-profit reach over 200,000 corals in nurseries and plant 50,000 new corals by 2026, using AI-powered monitoring and local training across French Polynesia, Fiji, and Thailand. In the framework of the collaboration, teaching resources have been realized ( “Saving Coral Reefs: From Science to Storytelling”) for the fourth cycle of the SEA BEYOND educational module for international secondary schools, that will be launched soon to inspire future ocean custodians.Meanwhile, on World Day for Glaciers, Prada Group and IOC announced support for “Follow the Ice – The Memory of Glaciers,” a Ca’ Foscari University Foundation project under the Sea Beyond initiative. The collaboration develops global educational resources on glacier science and climate, alongside three research expeditions to iconic glaciers in the Alps, Pakistan, and Svalbard. In April, the project also inaugurated its first physical space — the Sea Beyond Ocean Literacy Center in Venice. Located on San Servolo island, the center introduces a new model of public engagement that blends interactive education, art, and research. Visitors explore immersive maps of the Venetian Lagoon and sensory installations that let them feel ocean salinity or touch models of marine ecosystems in both their natural and acidified state, embodying what the project calls “learning by doing.” The program’s reach continues to grow. In Japan and the U.S., Sea Beyond runs educational programs with schools and cultural institutions, while its “Sea Beyond Ideas Box” initiative, developed with Bibliothèques Sans Frontières, delivers mobile ocean classrooms to underserved communities worldwide. Each project reinforces the same principle: sustainability must be participatory. Across these efforts, Prada Group embeds science and culture into sustainability, redefining corporate responsibility for a new era of luxury. Sea Beyond Shanghai edition extends this approach eastward. The Rong Zhai program was co-developed with IOC and the UCCA Foundation, blending international science with Chinese cultural education. Content was adapted to the local context with the support of the First Institute of Oceanography (FIO) under China’s Ministry of Natural Resources and the UN Decade Collaborative Center on the Ocean-Climate Nexus and Coordination Amongst Decade Implementing Partners in P.R. China (DCC-OCC). A mansion becomes a marine classroom Inside Rong Zhai’s grand ballroom — in the 1920s a venue for social gatherings — guests found themselves under a stained-glass skylight refracted into oceanic hues. There, the “Ocean & Climate Village” exhibition unfolded across themed areas dedicated to marine biodiversity, climate science, ocean acidification, rising sea levels, and the impact of individual and collective actions on the ocean. Among the interactive highlights: “UpSea Down,” a digital visual timeline illustrating how global warming has expanded ocean volume from 1940 to 2100; “Feel the Change,” a tactile installation letting visitors compare marine ecosystems in different states and VR experiences. Volunteer guides from Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai Ocean University, and East China Normal University led guests through the exhibition and its interactive installations. For many younger visitors, this was their first encounter with marine science — including a group of primary students from Guizhou, an inland province, who had never seen the sea and had the possibility to travel to Shanghai with their teachers thanks to Sea Beyond. Beyond the main exhibition, Prada Group curated a series of thematic dialogues streamed on Tencent Channels. “Ocean Literacy and Global Collaboration” brought together IOC’s Francesca Santoro, oceanographer Dr. Fangli Qiao, and UCCA’s Philip Tinari to discuss how art and science can jointly foster public understanding. “The ocean regulates climate, provides food and livelihoods, supports biodiversity, and drives the global economy. It is essential for sustainable development. That’s why it is crucial to strengthen communication around ocean literacy, engaging all stakeholders — scientists, governments, educators, the private sector, and artists,” says Dr. Qiao. “We understand the ocean better when we collaborate together.” Another talk, “Emotions, Storytelling, and Ocean Protection,” featured Japanese ichthyologist, professor and artist Sakana-Kun and Titouan Bernicot, founder of Coral Gardeners and Sea Beyond Goodwill Ambassador. They explored how childhood fascination with marine life evolved into careers of conservation, underscoring the role of storytelling in science communication. A third conversation paired Emmy-nominated environmental photographer and climate artist Enzo Barracco with Santoro, reflecting on how visual art can raise climate awareness . “Photography has the power to communicate a very complex story. Its stillness and its silence move you and create a very strong connection between the image and the audience. If you see, you care. If you see, you act. If you see, you think differently,” says Barracco. His images of Antarctica, the Galapagos, Hawaii, and Alaska, exhibited on Rong Zhai’s fourth floor, underscore the fragility and beauty of endangered marine ecosystems. Cultivating the next generation of ocean stewards Throughout the week, the mansion’s garden and classrooms came alive with children’s workshops blending art, play, and environmental education. Kids painted sea creatures, studied miniature ecosystems and explored pollution’s impact on marine life. Sakana-Kun led a live drawing session titled “Secrets of the Sea,” introducing some popular fish species among children. “Projects like Sea Beyond aren’t just about today, they connect to the future through ocean education,” he says. For Prada Group, this intergenerational engagement reflects a larger strategic logic. “We are delighted to host Sea Beyond at Prada Rong Zhai, where we bring together art and science to inspire a deeper connection with the ocean, with the ultimate goal to spread knowledge and transform it into action,” says Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada Group’s head of corporate social responsibility. Sea Beyond’s commitment to promoting ocean literacy in China will continue after the event with the “Marine Science Cultural Kit,” a tool comprising games and basic information conceived for kids aged 8-12 that will be distributed to schools in the inland Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, reaching approximately 800 children to bring the spirit of conservation to inland areas through art, sowing the seeds of marine culture and environmental awareness far from the coast. Prada Group’s collaboration network has expanded to include scientists, educators, creative practitioners and ocean advocates who serve as Sea Beyond Goodwill Ambassadors (the so-called Sea Beyonders) with the aim to help Sea Beyond to raise public awareness on the importance of protecting the ocean. China’s role in Prada’s global sustainability vision The localization of Sea Beyond in Shanghai highlights China’s growing importance in the sustainability narrative. The Chinese government has repeatedly positioned “ecological civilization” and marine protection as state-level strategies in its 14th Five-Year Plan. Prada’s choice of Shanghai, a city balancing cultural heritage and future innovation, is deliberate. The collaboration with Chinese research institutions like FIO and DCC-OCC signals a shift from mere brand presence to substantive partnership. By inviting inland students to see the sea, Prada extends its message beyond elite consumers to a broader civic audience, transforming Sea Beyond into a social learning platform. As Chinese consumers increasingly equate luxury with purpose and values, such initiatives enhance Prada Group’s ESG profile in a region where climate awareness is rapidly mainstreaming. Beyond fashion: A blueprint for cultural sustainability Since 2023, 1% of the proceeds from the Prada Re-Nylon for Sea Beyond Collection, made of regenerated nylon, benefit Sea Beyond projects, effectively tying a commercial product to tangible environmental initiatives. Re-Nylon’s value proposition now extends beyond material innovation to cultural activism. This model signals a broader shift across luxury, where sustainability is no longer a symbolic gesture but a system-wide framework linking production, design, and social impact. Toward a deeper blue Six years since its launch, Sea Beyond has evolved into more than an educational project — it is a social learning platform linking education, science, and art. At Prada Rong Zhai, that vision came to life in a city better known for skyscrapers than shorelines. Children painted whales, photographers debated climate ethics, and scientists spoke of tides beneath a century-old glass dome. For a brand built on craft and culture, Sea Beyond proves that luxury’s next frontier lies not in products, but in purpose.

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Sea Beyond at Prada Rong Zhai: Prada Group brings ocean literacy to Shanghai