On 30 Nov 2022, alumna Minnie Lam (BA, 2020) shone at the “Cre8 by AIA” Competition in the Design category. Organised by AIA Hong Kong & Macau, the competition attracted over a thousand applications. The star mentors and judges, including Hins Cheung - multi-talented singer-songwriter, and Neo Yau – co-founder of the “Trial & Error” Youtube channel, selected Minnie as the winner from a lineup of very talented individuals. Not only has Minnie received $300,000 from the Cre8 kickstart fund towards her fashion brand, but Rap Chan, Creator of Dustykid – Soul Caring Brand based in Hong Kong, has also personally mentored her.
Minnie established her fashion brand, LAM WING SUM, in 2018 when she was still a student and supported by the fashion business and incubation platform of SFT - STORE by PolyU Fashion, for her B2C and B2B business. Her design inspirations are mainly based on nature and abstract ideas and colours which promote durable and aesthetic slow fashion. With the continuous support of SFT, Minnie received the opportunity to embark on an overseas study exchange at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) to enrich her traditional garment making skills and explore the concept of fashion sustainability.
About "Cre8 by AIA"
The "Cre8 by AIA" competition is a youth-inspired co-creation programme dedicated to supporting young people to fully unleash their creativity to co-create tomorrow with infinite possibilities. "Cre8 by AIA" provides comprehensive support for young people to fulfill their creative aspirations, creating shared values for society. The programme is designed to support talents in five categories – "Performance Creation", "Design", "Food & Beverage", "Go Green" and "Innovation & Technology". Young people can submit their "Cre8tion" to the applicable category for an opportunity to enter "Cre8 by AIA". Shortlisted cre8tors not only receive mentorships from star mentors and judges, and promotional support from Cre8 for their endeavours but also funds from the Cre8 kickstart funds totaling $2.5 million to pursue their dream career.