Rising Hong Kong Fashion Talent Wows Audience at PolyU Fashion Show 2023; Uniting Top Industry Players to Bring Revitalizing New Force to the Fashion Industry

Hong Kong fashion is in full bloom again! At the highly anticipated PolyU Fashion Show held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 28 June 2023, 30 talented students wowed the audience during the catwalk show and dazzled the judges, industry experts and local fashionistas with their innovative and unique concepts of contemporary fashion and creative designs. Organised by the School of Fashion and Textiles (SFT) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), the Show clearly demonstrated the emerging new power of local fashion.

From casual outfits to evening wear, activewear and lingerie, the graduating students from the University’s flagship programme, the BA (Hons) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles, displayed masterpieces of design on the runway. Hosted by Ms Rabeea Yeung, the Show attracted an audience of over 1,400 with many distinguished guests including renowned local designers Ms Vivienne Tam and Mr Manix Wong, as well as Ms Lilian Kan and Ms Mary Yu, who are also alumni of the School; while a global audience of nearly 40,000 also watched the show online through YouTube, Wechat and Weibo live stream.

As a world-class fashion and textiles education institution, SFT is dedicated to providing a vibrant creative community to foster students’ development as independent designers, thinkers, leaders and entrepreneurs. Supported by a variety of industry partners and sponsors, the Show engaged students with key industry players from across the fashion and technology sectors, helping them stay abreast of current industry trends and further their careers. Eight awards and scholarships were presented at the Show in recognition of outstanding work and to encourage the talented students to pursue their dreams in fashion while embracing their fruitful academic journey at SFT.

The judging panel for the Overall Grand Award, sponsored by the Nameson Group, comprised leading fashion designers and industry professionals, including Mr Benny Wong, Chairman of Nameson Group and Ms Janet Cheung, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association. Three outstanding alumni, fashion practitioners with remarkable achievements in their respective fields, were also invited to join the panel for the selection of the overall winner. They included Mr Derek Chan (M.Phil / 2016), who was a finalist in the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designer’s Competition 2012 (YDC) and is currently the Design Director and Co-founder of DEMO, a fashion label that reimagines traditional masculinity in contemporary and gender-neutral designs. In addition to nominated as one of the nine emerging Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) designers by HYPEBEAST, Derek was also being selected by Hong Kong Fashion Council as Designer of the Year (Menswear) in 2016 as well as bagged the Collection of the Year award in 2019, and one of the 10 Asian Designers to Watch Awards from Fashion Asia in 2019 and 2020. Mr Daniel Cheung (BA / 2016) is now a celebrity stylist and Fashion Director of Madame Figaro Hong Kong, a reputed French fashion magazine. With his creativity, knowledge and great eye for recognising trends, Daniel has been invited to style numerous magazine covers and frequently works as a consultant with various fashion brands. Last but not least, Mr Wilson Yip (BA / 2015) is a local designer and founder of Wilsonkaki, a fashion brand that draws inspiration from daily life experiences for its innovative concepts. Wilson’s accolades include being chosen as one of the 10 Asian Designers to Watch 2021, being awarded the Champion and Best Footwear Design Award at YDC 2019, as well as the Manish Arora Award at the 14th International Arts of Fashion Competition in San Francisco, CA.

Other members of the judging panel for the various awards and scholarships were (in alphabetical order):

• Ms Janet Cheung, Vice Chairman, Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association

• Ms Ale Lau, Chief Designer, Yintak Intex Company Limited

• Mr Hanks Lee, Director, Corporate Communications & Watsons Brand Marketing, A.S. Watson Group

• Ms Karen Ng, Secretary, Hong Kong Intimate Apparel Industries' Association

• Ms Cintia Nunes, General Manager - Head of The Mills Fabrica Asia

• Ms Brenda Yang, Technical Manager, Flinders Merino Group & The Woolmark Company

• Ms Dilys Yiu, Director, Fenix Group Holdings Limited

The winner of the Overall Grand Award sponsored by Nameson Group was Hana Li with her outstanding work themed “Gentle Transitions: Impressions of Nature ‘s Fleeting Embrace”. She created the collection with a patchwork of different fabrics. The HKIAIA Overall Grand Award winner, sponsored by the Hong Kong Intimate Apparel Industries' Association, was Wingo Chong, with her work created under the theme “Art Tour”. Inspired by how historical European artworks portrayed female bodies with full and round figures, Wingo adds elements of traditional European paintings and exhibition halls to her designs compared to how female bodies are criticised in contemporary society. Through her lingerie collection, she hopes to express the idea of embracing the body and that everyone should appreciate and respect different body shapes.

Prof. Erin Cho, Dean of SFT said, “The annual PolyU fashion show is a testament to the hard work, dedication and passion of our wonderfully gifted students. It also provides an interactive platform for them to present their ideas to the world, be seen by industry professionals and gain inspiration for their careers. This year, we were particularly proud to see so many amazing designs on stage and the way the work defined new aesthetics and pushed the boundaries of what fashion is and what fashion can contribute to society beyond being just apparel.”

Appendix: List of Awardees

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