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Nicole Mak and Enzo Chan awarded at The 9th Hong Kong Young Knitwear Designers’ Contest

Two graduating BA students majored in Knitwear Design and Technology received awards at The 9th Hong Kong Young Knitwear Designers’ Contest which was organized by the Knitwear Innovation and Design Society (KIDS). The contest was held on 6 September 2019 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Mak Wing-sem Nicole won Champion for her design titled “Jupiter”. She received a cash prize of HK$20,000. The 2nd Runner-up, Chan Tza-wa, Enzo received a cash prize of HK$5,000 for his achievements. Among ten finalists, three of them are the BA graduating students were also shortlisted at The 9th Hong Kong Young Knitwear Designers’ Contest. They are FUNG Chun-tat Barry, Mak Tsz-man Polly and Wong Chun-ka Alice.   Photo credit: Knitwear Innovation and Design Society

PolyU signs agreement with ANTA to develop smart textiles for 2022 Winter Olympics

PolyU and ANTA Sports Products Limited (安踏 [中國] 有限公司) (ANTA) recently signed a memorandum of understanding to confirm their intentions to jointly develop high-tech smart textiles for the uniforms of the Chinese team at the XXIV Olympic Winter Games and the Winter Paralympic Games which will be held in Beijing in 2022. The project team is led by two ITC researchers: Prof. Jintu Fan - Chair Professor and Dr Lilly Li - Associate Professor. With their strong expertise and experience in functional textiles and apparel, the team will co-develop wearable heat generating and thermally insulating materials with ANTA for functional clothing that will be used as the uniforms of the Chinese athletes, volunteers and staff. The collaboration aims to provide the best quality products and services and help the Chinese achieve outstanding results at the Winter Olympic Games as well as support sports development in China. ANTA is a leading sportswear company in China and the first Chinese sportswear brand to sponsor an international Olympic event. In September 2017, ANTA signed a contract with the Beijing Organizing Committee to be the official sportswear partner of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic Games. ANTA will also provide the Chinese athletes with first-class sports equipment. 

ITC stages MA in Fashion & Textile Design Fashion Show 2019

ITC held its dynamic MA Graduation Fashion Show "CHAOS" yesterday. Over 400 guests, including representatives from the fashion industry, family, friends, and supporters were in the audience. Fifteen outstanding talents from the programme of Master of Arts (MA) in Fashion and Textile Design under ITC presented their design projects in the Show. Five awards, judged by a prestigious industry panel, and two sponsored awards were presented to the winners in the Show for their excellence in fashion design. (Please refer to the appendix for the full list of awardees.) The design collections showcased the unusual ingenuity in today's fashion of the graduating students and disclosed their vision and foresight for the future fashion trend. Their masterpieces not only enhanced the vibrancy of the event that the audience waited with anticipation, but also served as a testament to the distinctive quality of MA Programme in Fashion and Textile Design in nurturing talents for the fashion industry in Hong Kong and beyond. Under the leadership of Professor of Practice Ms Basia Szkutnicka, the Programme is rapidly gaining in reputation as a flagship for innovative design training in the region. Talented and ambitious young creatives are guaranteed a year of challenging practice and coaching to produce extraordinary results. Ms Szkutnicka said, "We look to create future industry mavericks, innovators, radical practitioners, and free thinkers. Our aim is to review and shake a global fashion industry from within, collaborate, think in a new way and design for a better future, for all. We are starting by revitalising our base and fantastic city – Hong Kong, with positive energy and a dynamic vision for the future. Our graduates are the future and are now ready for the best jobs. Our manifesto is to be modern, be fearless, to look beyond and birth new ideas. We are the future." The winning collection of Best Collection Award – “Rebuild” by Jenny Lam. Excellence in Craftsmanship Award goes to “The Family” by Arielle Li. The winning collection of Industry Ready Collection Award – “The Women Warrior Revisited” by Jeremy Lam. Future Fashion Award is presented to Jimmy Wang for his collection of “Pieles”. Lafayet Favorite Collection Award – “In-Between” by Claudia Lam. KTC Collaborative Design Project Award – “Retro Futurism” by Calvin Chung, Christine He, Huang Jing-bei and Laura Chen. MIRA Hotel Uniform Design Award is presented to Arielle Li (2nd from right).

ITC students stage a fashion show with people with intellectual disabilities and ex-mentally ill persons

Ten mentally handicapped persons and ten ex-mentally ill persons (participants), presented 20 fashion collections they designed in collaboration with 76 students from ITC, at the “Fashion-type 2019” event yesterday. The event clearly presented a thought-provoking message: Fashion is beyond trend; Fashion can be a tool of empowerment and helps social inclusion and cohesion. Robynn & Kendy, the Hong Kong based musical duo, and One Promise, the emerging band, showed their support to the cause by performing at their event and be the guests-of-honour of the opening ceremony. Music performance by One Promise.   Music performance by Robynn & Kendy. The exhibition was co-organised by the ITC and the Office of Service-Learning (OSL) of PolyU; Hong Chi Association; and New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (NLPRA), with a target to enhancing the participants’ self-confidence. The project also allowed PolyU students to apply the practical skills acquired in their course and build up their sense of responsibility to the society by serving the community. Over 70 students of PolyU joined hands with 20 persons with intellectual disabilities and ex-mental ill persons from Hong Chi Association and NLPRA and co-created 20 expressive textile arts and fashion prototypes which showcased at “I empowerful 2019” exhibition. Together they co-created 20 expressive textile arts, fashion prototypes and heartfelt stories showcased on the runway as well as at the exhibition. The officiating guests at the opening ceremony were Prof. FAN Jin-tu, Head of ITC; Mr Edwin M. W. LAM, General Secretary of Hong Chi Association; Ms Amy FUNG, Chief Executive Officer of NLPRA; and the guest performers Robynn & Kendy and One Promise. Group photo of the officiating guests (Upper row from left): Prof. Fan Jin-tu, Head of ITC, PolyU; Ms Amy Fung, Chief Executive Officer of New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association; Ms Marjorie Yang, GBS, JP, Chairman of Esquel Group; Performance guests Robynn & Kendy; Mr Edwin Lam, General Secretary of Hong Chi Association; and (Second role): Performance band One Promise. The 20 participants also glammed themselves up on the runway to showcase the fashion designs they worked out together with the PolyU students, and shared their stories with the attendees. Participant S. Y. LAM wearing the co-created works doing the catwalk. Participant W. M. WONG showed confidence during the catwalk performance. Project leader of the event, Dr Jin LAM, who is also the Assistant Professor of ITC, said, “The theme of the event this year, ‘I empowerful 2019’, delivers a strong message to the society that fashion is created for every one of us. Using fashion as a medium, both the participants and the PolyU students would be able to express in full their unique beauty, self-confidence and talent through the outfits they jointly produced.” The celebrity guests Robynn & Kendy shared that the project was meaningful, and they hoped to encourage within the community a more loving and caring attitude towards people in need. Two participants from NLPRA shared their stories at the event. S. Y. LAM, who had mild intellectual disability, likes putting on beautiful outfits just like any other girl, and hopes to be capable to choose her own way of living. Pink and white colour, skirt and sakura were her favourite fashion elements. Yet, her parents usually ask her not to wear dresses out of protection. Through this programme, Lam was able to build up her self-confidence and personal identity through the process of creating expressive textile arts. The other participant, W. M. WONG, suffered from mental health problems when he was about to retire. Working in a life-saving occupation had put him under tremendous stress. Only had he joined the programme that he was willing to open to helping hand from others. The programme also provided an opportunity for him to communicate, interact and connect with the community.

Techstyle for Social Good International Competition 2019 winners revealed!

ITC organised, in collaboration with The Mills Fabrica, the Grand Finals of “Techstyle for Social Good International Competition 2019” in late June to promote a new design approach - techstyle (i.e. intersection of technology and style) - in Hong Kong. One of the winners was a graduating student of PolyU whose design targets to help enhance the quality of life of amputees. Sponsored by Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the HKSAR Government, the Competition held its Grand Finals on 28 June 2019 at The Mills Fabrica. With a target to creating awareness and sparking ideas for better techstyle designs, the Competition attracted entries from students of leading institutions around the world including Central Saint Martins of the University of the Arts London, the Royal College of Arts, the Parsons School of Design, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tsinghua University and PolyU, etc. Among the 12 finalists, Miss Wendy LAW, a graduating student from the School of Design of PolyU, won the Hong Kong Best Design Award in the Competition with her project titled “Aesthesis - The partial hand accessories for amputees”. This finger amputee prosthetic is a 3D-printed decorative device made of both soft and hard materials. Compared with the existing products, it is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also lighter in weight and more breathable. It can help cover up the lost part while extending the residual finger to provide more finger functions, such as holding a mobile phone, to enhance users’ quality of lives. Ms Carine Pin (first from left) and Mr Alexander Chan (first from right) presented the trophies and certificates to Wendy (second from left), Naila (middle), Christine and Florian.        Prof. FAN Jin-tu, Head and Chair Professor of ITC said, “I am proud that ITC organised such a meaningful event to nurture young designers locally and internationally by offering them a platform to exchange ideas through the Techstyle for Social Good International Competition. They and their future designs will certainly bring about positive impacts to the global community.” The design journey has just begun for the award winners as they will have extensive post-competition support in terms of mentorships, residencies, as well as free work spaces and lab memberships at The Mills Fabrica. A series of networking opportunities will also be offered to the winners to exchange ideas with industry experts. Challenging questions from the panel of judges...........   “All innovations take time, and no journey of innovation is ever singular. We hope this competition marks the start of a sustainable and collaborative journey of innovation for young talents.” said Vanessa Cheung, Founder of The Mills and Managing Director of Nan Fung Group. The judging panel, formed by ten distinguished industry experts and world-renowned design academics, was impressed by the participants’ creative ideas and their sensitivity to social issues. The judges encouraged the finalists to continue exploring innovative techstyle designs for creating social impacts. Shortlisted design entries of the International Competition are being showcased at The Mills till 26 August 2019, along with other design exhibits from leading academics and cutting-edge designers, who are also the panel of speakers of the “Designing Future Techstyle” International Symposium. The exhibition will be staged at PolyU’s Fashion Gallery from 27 August 2019 to 22 September 2019. The public is welcome to visit the exhibition for free.

ITC holds Hong Kong’s first event on design-led technology for social good

ITC held today the “Designing Future Techstyle” International Symposium and “Techstyle for Social Good International Competition 2019” at The Mills. Endorsed by two world design academies, Royal College of Art in London and Tsinghua University in Beijing, the Symposium was packed with world-renowned speakers from cutting-edge international design brands, world-class luxury group and sportswear brands. This was the first-of-its-kind event to promote a new design approach - techstyle (i.e. intersection of technology and style) in Hong Kong. In collaboration with The Mills Fabrica, the innovation arm of The Mills, and with the sponsorship of the Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the HKSAR, the Symposium aims at creating awareness of new design approaches to techstyle, and highlighting the industry’s needs to work collaboratively across disciplines as technology and consumer demands evolve. The vision of the collaboration is to discover distinguished designs that integrate technology and modern style and explore “techstyle for social good” projects. Through this partnership, the hosting organisations also want to promote sustainability in techstyle industry, and to support the young entrepreneurs who aspire to develop in this area. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Honourable Felix CHUNG, Legislative Council Member; Ms Jersey YUEN, Assistant Head, CreateHK; Dr Miranda LOU, Executive Vice President of PolyU; Ms Vanessa CHEUNG, Founder of The Mills and Managing Director of Nan Fung Development Ltd; and Prof. FAN Jin-tu, Head and Chair Professor of ITC. Honourable Felix CHUNG, Legislative Council Member Addressing at the ceremony, Dr Miranda LOU said, “Hong Kong, as a creative capital, strives to play a leading role in encouraging design-led technological innovations for social good. Fashion now concerns more than addressing apparels and wearables, but fostering change to fashion products and systems towards sustainability and a higher sense of social responsibility. Recognised as one of the region’s best schools in textiles and clothing, PolyU will continue to be the hub for nurturing talents and cutting edge research in fashion, textiles and design in Hong Kong, and in the region.”   On behalf of CreateHK, Ms Jersey YUEN expressed her gratitude to the ITC for successfully organising the event to promote design-led technology for social good.   Prof. FAN Jin-tu, Head and Chair Professor of ITC. Featuring keynote talks and a discussion forum with international renowned academics and experts in techstyle, the Symposium provided local creative communities, design students and the general public a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas and get international, interdisciplinary design perspectives particularly for creating social impact. Prof. Naren BARFIELD, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Provost of Royal College of Art, stressed in his presentation the significant contribution of techstyle and talked about useful innovations that are impacting our lives. Ms Christianna WINCEK, Flyknit Innovation Material Design Director of Nike, shared her insights in the process of designing of sports shoes. Ms Francesca ROSELLA, Co-founder of CuteCircuit, discussed the synergy of design and technology, and the new dimensions for human experience. Well known for her viral colour-changing hair dye, Ms Lauren BOWKER, Founder of THEUNSEEN, presented newly-created, self-activating beauty products that change colour in response to heat, wind and UV light, and discussed their implications on natural beauty. The shortlisted design entries of the International Competition were showcased at the Symposium. The exhibition continues at The Mills from today till 26 August along with other design exhibits from leading academics and cutting edge designers, who are also the panel of speakers of the "Designing Future Techstyle International Symposium.   The Project also included the “Techstyle for Social Good International Competition 2019” which awarded the winners with cash prizes, residencies at The Mills Fabrica and opportunities to further explore the potential of their projects. Prototypes of shortlisted participants were showcased at the venue to demonstrate their design-led technology innovations for social good.

PolyU Knitwear Exhibition 2019

This exhibition showcases the knitwear design collections of final-year students at the Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Each collection reflects not only the uniqueness of the knitwear designs but also the students’ passion, persistence and attitude towards art and fashion. View exhibition brochure here.

ITC fashion design graduates stage Fashion Show 2019

Twenty-two graduating students from ITC showcased their design flair and talent at the PolyU Fashion Show 2019 held on 13 June at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. Over 2,000 industrialists, fashion designers and fashion bloggers were attracted to the Show. Graduating students from the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles each presented a series of six pieces of outfit with varied themes of their own choice to compete for seven awards. The Overall Grand Award eventually went to Venus TSANG with her creative design themed Toumei Ningen. Ms Vivienne TAM (third from left), renowned Fashion Designer and Founder of VIVIENNE TAM, also attends the show and presented the Overall Grand Award to the winner, Venus TSANG (fifth from right).   The judging panel was comprised of well-known fashion designers and seasoned practitioners of the fashion industry. They included: Ms Janet CHEUNG, Vice-Chairman, Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association; Ms Lu Lu CHEUNG, Creative Director, Rolls Group Limited; Mr Anthony KEUNG, President and C.E.O., Fenix Group Holdings Ltd; Mr Walter MA, Director, Walter Ma & Co. Ltd; and Mr Peter WONG, Editorial Director, VOGUE Hong Kong. Professor WONG Wing-tak, Dean of PolyU’s Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles (third from right) and the panel of judges (from left): Ms Janet CHEUNG, Ms Lu Lu CHEUNG, Mr Peter WONG; and (from right) Mr Walter MA and Mr Anthony KEUNG.     The Show was officiated by Prof. WONG Wing-tak, Dean of Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles, and Prof. FAN Jin-tu, Chair Professor and Head of ITC. Prof. WONG said, “I would like to thank our partners in the industry for their long-standing support and generous sponsorship. With their support, we are delighted to see many brilliant masterpieces today. I have no doubt that our young talents will shine on the international stage very soon.” To make the Fashion Show more colourful, ITC in collaboration with the Hong Kong Sports Institute invited local elite athletes from the Institute to join the catwalk and demonstrate their all-rounded talent and charisma beyond sports grounds. The seven elite athletes made their catwalk debut were Katrina WAN (Billiard Sports), Vincent YEUNG (Badminton), Leo LEE (Badminton), Angel WONG (Gymnastics), LAU Chi Ming (Karatedo), Hugo DARKE CHRISTOPHER (Rugby), and Juanita MOK (Wushu).

PolyU signs a collaborative agreement with top textile university in Southern China to promote green and healthy textiles

  PolyU today announced the signing of a collaborative framework agreement with Wuyi University (WYU). The two universities will join hands for research on the development of green and healthy textile materials over a span of three years. The collaboration marks an important milestone of joint R&D effort between Hong Kong and Jiangmen – two major cities in the Greater Bay Area. As one of the world's largest textile and garment production and consumption regions, the Mainland's growing demand for "green and healthy" textile has created a huge market potential for antibacterial and mildew resistant textiles. The collaboration aims to facilitate the experts from the two universities to innovate dyeing and finishing technologies for fabrics so as to address the health and environmental concerns associated with man-made fibers and their chemical processes. As textiles are good substrates for exponential bacterial growth and microbial proliferation under appropriate moisture, nutrients, and temperature conditions, the research will also study the ingredients and methodologies to enhance the antibacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal performances in textiles. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ir Prof. Alex WAI, Vice President (Research Development) of PolyU, said "PolyU has proven records in translating impactful research results into applicable technologies and solutions to benefit the society and humankind. Leveraging our research strengths in textile technology for smart materials, textile-based wearable electronics and biomedical textiles, we believe the collaboration will bring further success in developing next generation "green and healthy" fabrics. We are very pleased to collaborate with universities in the Greater Bay Area such as WYU. Such cooperation platforms will accelerate innovation, new technology development and commercial applications of R&D in the region." Prof. ZHANG Kun, Party Committee Secretary of WYU, thanked PolyU for kick-starting the collaboration in textile research. He hoped this is just the beginning and the cooperation could be extended to other disciplines between the two universities.

ITC holds “Youreable” Fashion Design 2019

More than 300 disables comprising from 10 Hong Kong NGOs joined the “Youreable Fashion Design 2019 on 6 April 2019 on PolyU campus. This meaningful event is organized by the Troels H. Povlsen Care Apparel Centre (CAC) of PolyU. The objectives of this event are to demonstrate the talents of disables and to provide an opportunity for PolyU students to work alongside with disables in the community. 20 sets of design outfits from the finalists were presented at the Award Presentation Ceremony officiated by Dr Law Chi Kwong, Secretary of Labour and Welfare, Dr Lam Tai Fai, Chairman of the PolyU Council and Professor Alex Wai, Vice President (Research and Development) of PolyU. Among the 300 received design works, 20 were selected and their loved ones of the finalists dressed up and showcased the outfits on stage. The awards were given to the Best Design – Champion, 1st Runner Up and 2nd Runner Up, Most Creative, Best Stage Performance Award.     Addressing the ceremony, Professor Alex Wai said, “The “Youreable Fashion Design” event, now in its nineth year, has provided a unique platform for the elderly and disables to showcase their talents in fashion design. Our students also benefit from the learning experience. Through participating in this service learning subject, they can put classroom theories into practice and serve the community at the same time.”         Dr Law Chi Kwong said,” The “Youreable Fashion Design” event could provide the elderly and the disabled an opportunity to express their emotion through fashion design in order to build up their self-confidence as well as improving the communication with the public.”