Our History
1950s
1957
Founding of the Department of Textile Industries of Hong Kong Technical College, as the first of its kind in Hong Kong which provided textiles education at post-secondary school
1960s
1960
The first cohort of Hong Kong Technical College graduates
1970s
1970
The first cohort of Higher Diploma students in Wool Technology
1971
1977
The Department of Textiles Industries of the Hong Kong Technical College is renamed as the Institute of Textiles and Clothing of the Hong Kong Polytechnic
1980s
1980
1982
The 9th Fashion Show at Kenswick Hall
1990s
1990
1993
Graduation dinner of first cohort of BSc (Hons) in Textiles graduates
1998
Opening of Fashion and Textiles Resource Centre
1999
Prof. Poon Chung-kwong, President of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (1991-2008) and Prof. Edward Newton, Head of ITC greet Mrs Betty Tung Chiu Hung-ping, wife of the Chief Executive of the HKSAR at the Millennium Feast organised by The Textiles and Clothing Alumni Association (TCAA)
2000s
2000
Introduction of the MA programme for Fashion and Textile Design with a $5 million scholarship sponsored by Dr Lam Tai Fai to support 20 academics annually from mainland China to study in Hong Kong during academic years 2000/01 to 2004/05
2000
Mr Tung Chee-hwa, Chief Executive of HKSAR, visits ITC Fashion & Textiles Resource Centre for the first time in his capacity as University Chancellor
2004
ITC academics create the world’s first “sweating” manikin – Walter, which can simulate human perspiration and be used to test the thermal insulation and moisture vapour resistance of functional clothing
2005
2005
Mr Zeng Qinghong, Vice-President of the People’s Republic of China from 2003 to 2008, sets foot on PolyU campus for the first time and visits ITC
2005
ITC researchers develop the world’s first soft manikin by making use of the 3D scanned data of a live model and the structure of a human skeleton
2005
ITC researchers develop a high security anti-counterfeiting system for use with premium fashion products and accessories with advanced radio frequency identification (RFID) technology
2005
ITC develops Nu-Torque™ yarn technology to produce singles ring yarn with reduced residual torque for the production of woven and knitted cotton fabric with a softer handle, lower spirality, good strength and less pilling
2006
Opening of Fashion Design Studio
2006
The first MA Graduation Show at Hong Kong Fashion Week
2006
Jointly organised with the Lane Crawford Hong Kong, "Future Fashion" is an exhibition held at the different stores, every year until 2010, with the aims to honour and support up-and-coming fashion design talents from ITC.
2006
ITC hosts the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA). HKRITA enjoys funding support from the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR government and other industry partners, and is one of the leading textiles and apparel research centres in the world
2007
ITC celebrates its 50th Anniversary
2007
With a mission to serve the less privileged in society, the Troels H. Povlsen Care Apparel Centre opens as the first of its kind in Asia. The centre provides tailor-made special outfits to meet the needs of the elderly and the disabled, and also promotes a novel care apparel concept through research, education and specialist consultation services
2007
ITC holds the “Washed Out” Denim Exhibition, to present the audience with a visual journey in textured jeans wear. The exhibition is first held at PolyU, and then in Kowloon Tong, and ends with an exhibition at the London College of Fashion, UK.
2007
ITC develops innovative smart dressing system that offers real-time mix-and-match style advice to customers when they view their selected fashion items in front of a dressing mirror or try them on inside a fitting room
2008
First Knitwear Fashion Show is held on PolyU campus, with generous support from numerous yarn suppliers and knitwear manufacturers
2008
New breakthrough in manikin technology with ‘i.Dummy’, an intelligent robotic female torso that can change at a moment’s notice to adapt to almost any body type, of any size or ethnic background
2009
2009
ITC participates in the first SPINEXPO New York, USA, further to the exceptional success of this fair, knitwear students' works are also showcased later at the 14th SPINEXPO Shanghai, PRC
2010s
2010
ITC and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of HKSAR jointly stage "The Evergreen Classic - Transformation of the Qipao" fashion exhibition at the Hong Kong Museum of History, presenting ten pieces of contemporary qipao which are designed by a group of seven fashion design academics
2010
2010
ITC participates in the “ZED Fashion Show” at World Expo Shanghai, eleven graduating students showcase their creative designs at the show.
2011
ITC students’ first victory at the Future Retail Challenge of World Retail Congress, one of the largest conferences in the world that focuses on challenges, opportunities and the future of global retail. The teams were Champions in the 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2019 Future Retail Challenges
2012
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department of HKSAR commissions ITC to organise "Fashion • Terracotta Warrior Inspired Fashion Design” competition to foster public's interest and knowledge in the Terracotta Warriors
2013
ITC co-organizes “Discovering Qing – Fashion Design Competition” with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, The Palace Museum and the Hong Kong Design Centre, to cultivate the creativity of the local young fashion design students and enhance their understanding of the royal attire of the Qing dynasty
2013
2014
The first Intimate Fashion Show takes place at Hong Kong Fashion Week, greatly supported by intimate apparel manufacturers and suppliers
2014
ITC students first participate in a TV reality show, 'Fashion Seoul Challenge’, a student buying competition jointly organised by ITC, The Sincere Company Limited and NowTV. Three shortlisted teams act as buyer for The Sincere Company Limited, bring back the latest fashion from Seoul, South Korea, and place them on the racks for sale at the Sincere Causeway Bay store for 12 days
2015
A set of “Blossom Garden” themed costumes for Mickey and Minnie are co-created by Hong Kong Disneyland and Lois Li (BA, 2015) for the first time ever to celebrate spring with Disney guests
2016
ITC students design work uniforms for Watsons as a kickstart to the Brand Refresh Campaign. The winning uniforms are designed by Sharon Yeung (BA, 2016) and was launched worldwide in 2019
2016
Co-organised with the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, ITC organises the “Fashion for a Better Future” event to encourage students and service recipients to show their creativity, enhance their self-confidence and rebuild their identity
2017
Celebration of ITC 60th Anniversary
2017
X-ray shielding textiles, a potential solution for replacing lead-rubber protective clothing, are developed for healthcare professionals and border crossing officers
2017
Establishment of Research Centre for Smart Wearable Technology, a research centre to be hosted at ITC in collaboration with colleagues from the Department of Applied Physics, Department of Electric Engineering and Department of Computing
2017
ITC presents “Self-Organisation: Junichi Arai’s Textile Anthology”, a retrospective exhibition of world renowned Japanese textile master Mr Junichi Arai
2017
ITC Summer Internship Programme introduced, with the aim to enrich the learning experience of students through local or overseas on-the-job training
2018
2018
Opening of ITC STORE, a breakthrough incubation platform that offers a unique practical learning channel outside classroom for design and fashion students, also a lifestyle laboratory that cultivates local creative and professional fashion talents
2018
First collaboration with Moleskine Asia Limited and Mattel Asia Limited, to organise a design competition named “You can be anything Creativity Inspiring Journey” exclusively for ITC students. The campaign calls for the designing of a collection for a well-known fashion doll, Barbie
2018
Intelligent 3D human modelling technology is introduced, which can project body shape and size accurately within 10 seconds
2018
ITC organises the first of its kind academic conference, “Artificial Intelligence on Fashion and Textile Conference 2018" in a partnership with Alibaba Group and The Textile Institute, UK. Concurrently, the FashionAI concept store opens on PolyU campus and a global competition "FashionAI Global Challenge 2018” is held. More than 6,000 researchers and engineers forming over 5000 teams from 42 countries have participated
2018
ITC first participates in the China Graduate Fashion Week. Over 400 guests attend the show in Beijing and over millions of viewers are attracted to the live streaming
2019
Establishment of Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design (AiDLab), the region’s first research platform that focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence with design
2019
ITC researchers develop highly flexible high-energy textile lithium battery to address surging demand for wearable electronics
2019
ITC holds Hong Kong’s first event on design-led technology for social good, the “Designing Future Techstyle” International Symposium, International Competition and workshop series
2020s
2020
New far infrared fibre with great potential for functional and healthcare textiles is developed
2020
ITC academic receive “Leonardo da Vinci” International Award for Design (2nd prize in the Fashion & Jewellery Design Category) at the 12th Florence Biennale
2021
Launching ceremony for PolyU-DRRC Novel Material Science and Technology Innovation Centre, an innovation centre for conducting research and developing cutting-edge technologies for novel materials and their related products, health care and functional care products, and smart wearable products
2021
In response to the pandemic, PolyU Fashion Show 2021 and PolyU Intimate Fashion Show 2021 are held at the PolyU campus, to present the talents of our students on an online video broadcast
2022
