New research centre at PAIR to transform textiles with interdisciplinary innovations

The emerging field of future textiles involves the fusion of many disciplines, not only textile science and fashion technology, but also material science, social sciences and the arts. Fuelled by our ambition for interdisciplinary innovation, PAIR proudly announce the new Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), as PolyU’s strategic approach to spur fashion and textile innovation.

Future fashion: Beyond staying on trend

Fashion is the art of expressing our sense of beauty and individuality through clothing and accessories. Innovation in fashion and textiles is more than staying trendy and matching textures in our outfits. Functionality, sustainability and digitisation are three major features that will define fashion trends in the coming years. Consumers and users are now looking for functional fabrics that regulate body heat and moisture; 3D-printed clothes; and green apparel made from biodegradable materials using eco-friendly practices.

Future fashion is therefore about creating clothes that offer improved functionality, better value, greater convenience, and environmental and societal sustainability. To make this happen, the sector needs to embrace novel materials and designs, and implement them successfully in the market with new approaches to business operations.

Longstanding, ingrained barriers to fashion and textile innovation

Unfortunately, the skills gaps among designers, technologists and business practitioners can hinder textile innovation. The fragmentation and compartmentalisation of design creativity, technology and business innovation have prevented many research and development outputs from reaching the market and making a real impact on the economy and society.

A closer partnership among academia, research, and industry is therefore very important. The new Centre is determined to address the above barriers via interdisciplinary synergy. Capitalising on PolyU’s research strengths, the Centre is bringing together researchers from various fields including design, textiles, and engineering,  to undertake frontier research that turns novel materials into commercialisable products, and to launch spin-off companies and licensed technologies. These will together support a sustainable fashion and textile industry, and expedite Hong Kong’s reindustrialisation and high-end manufacturing.

Reviving Hong Kong’s fashion and textile industry with innovation

Reindustrialisation diversifies Hong Kong’s economic portfolio, benefits the local innovation and technology ecosystem, and enhances the city’s international competitiveness. The Centre’s focus on high-tech, high-end fashion goods and designs will revive the fashion and textile industry, which is particularly essential for Hong Kong’s reindustrialisation.

Hong Kong’s traditional fashion and textile industry once sparked an economic boom and was the backbone of the city’s manufacturing sector. Under post-war industrialisation during the 1950s, the textile manufacturing and clothing industry gradually took the lead as Hong Kong restructured from an entrepot to an industrial city. The industry prospered in the 1970s. A mass industrial relocation then took place in the 1980s, marking the Hong Kong’s next transformation into an international financial centre.

Bringing fresh, interdisciplinary efforts to Hong Kong’s textile research

Textile research is a field with ample room for growth in Hong Kong. Numerous countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany and the United States, already have independent research groups and university centres performing interdisciplinary, collaborative textile research. In Hong Kong, education offerings in fashion and textiles design are available at a few local universities and institutes. However, research in this field is rather limited. Currently, the city has one government-funded research infrastructure, hosted by PolyU, which is dedicated to textiles and apparel research. The new PAIR unit will therefore bring new impetus to this aspect of Hong Kong’s research landscape.

The Centre will craft creative solutions for high-performance textile and fashion products, and for an efficient and sustainable fashion and textile life cycle, by addressing three major issues.

Under Advanced Fashion & Textile Materials and Technologies, members with expertise in fashion and textiles, applied physics, computing, mechanical engineering, and civil and environmental engineering will develop materials and enabling technologies for multifunctional fashion and textiles, sustainable materials and processes, and digital fashion.

Under Fashion & Textile Product Design and Innovation, textile researchers, designers and engineers will blend design, technology and market acumen to bring new clothing and bodywear tailored to a variety of users, such as construction workers, healthcare workers and sportsmen.

Under Fashion & Textile Life Cycle Management, experts from other fields, including applied mathematics, marketing management and logistics, will join hands with designers, computer scientists and textile researchers. They will develop novel technologies and solutions for a wide range of business activities, from data analytics, marketing, sales and distribution, to customer service, with the aim of enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of the fashion and textile life cycle.

Research innovation, collaborative partnership and talent growth for the prosperity of Hong Kong

The fashion and textile industry is often seen as a sunset industry. Truly upgrading the industry towards sustainable development, research innovation, collaborative partnership and talent growth is indispensable. The Centre will nurture new researchers and future leaders with interdisciplinary knowledge and expertise in technology, design and management relevant to the fashion and textile industry. The Centre will also work with academic institutes, research institutes, government departments, NGOs, industry associations, manufacturers, etc., to maximise research impact and opportunities for commercialisation and collaboration.

About the Centre

Established on 1 October 2023, the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) is a new constituent research unit of the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR). The Centre aspires to be a leading interdisciplinary R&D centre that addresses real-world textile and fashion challenges for the sake of health, well-being, protection, performance and sustainability.

RCTFF undertakes frontier interdisciplinary research and development in specific focus areas; develops high-tech and high-value added innovative products and technologies for the fashion and textile industry; and engages in local, regional and international collaboration in the field for the sake of long-term economic and social prosperity.

The Centre is led by Prof. FAN Jintu, Director of RCTFF, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Chair Professor of Fiber Science and Apparel Engineering, and Lee Family Professor in Textiles Technologies in the School of Fashion and Textiles (SFT). The RCTFF Associate Directors are Dr LIU Xihui, Assistant Dean (Academic Programmes) and Associate Professor in the School of Design; Dr Tracy MOK, Associate Professor in SFT; and Prof. WANG Yulan, Associate Head and Professor in the Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies.