News

Donating PU30 resuable face masks

To protect the grassroots families and ethnic minorities in the community against COVID-19, 1300 pieces of PU30TM reusable face mask were donated to three NGOs including the People Service Centre, the Hong Kong Christian Service and a Nepalis woman group via Lee Hysan Foundation.  Developed by a research team led by Prof. Kan Chi-wai and Dr Joanne Yip, PU30TM is an antiviral, washable and reusable mask. The mask has been in-vitro shown to inhibit tested strains of influenza virus (H1N1) and the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) upon contact with the surface of the face mask.

Muskan Shah recipient of the Hong Kong Association of University Women Scholarship

Congratulations to Muskan Shah, a BA student who received the Hong Kong Association of University Women (HKAUW) Scholarship of HK$5,000 for her outstanding academic achievements and service work. Muskan will receive 75% of the scholarship amount immediately and the remainder after she conducts and completes her community service this year.  Muskan is interested in a career in sustainable fashion after graduation. She believes that the HKAUW scholarship will encourage her to help more people and contribute to a better world: “As the scholarship focuses on benefitting women in the workforce, I think all women can help each other and grow together to do great things, and help me to strive forward and reach out, giving me a network of other women to work with wherever I go in the future!” Muskan is grateful to many people for helping her along the way: “I would like to thank my volunteer internship supervisors from Redress, Ms Koey and Ms Morgane, for their recommendation and support in my work in addition to the ITC professors who helped me to grow and discover new experiences.” Muskan will also enroll as a member of the HKAUW and participate in HKAUW events including workshops and talks.  Every year, the HKAUW selects a full-time female student recipient across selected Hong Kong tertiary institutions for their scholarship. Their aim is to improve the quality of education given to women as well as their professional opportunities. They seek to foster connections among university women and encourage them to learn from one another as well as empower one another to achieve great things in their career. They also wish to value and promote community service so that women can grow as individuals while also contributing to the community and encouraging mutual growth, particularly among women. 

ITC admits three top achievers with 5*/5** in five subjects

Three high-calibre students with top scores in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) examination 2021 have been admitted to the BA (Honours) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles at ITC. A one-off entry scholarship was granted to these outstanding students to recognize their academic potential. Prof. Jintu Fan, Head and Chair Professor of ITC, had this to say about the competence of the applicants: “This year has been an exceptionally difficult year for HKDSE candidates as they faced different challenges and various uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet we see them striving for self-improvement and achieving outstanding results." "I am thankful for the support of my parents and friends. Most importantly, thanking myself for putting in effort and my determination to choose ITC.” Jennifer, Raimondi College graduate One of these academically outstanding students, Lai Cheuk-ying Jennifer, received an admission scholarship of HK$35,000 with a score of 30.5# for her five best HKDSE subjects. Jennifer stated that “It all started with a concert”. She was impressed by the costumes and styling of Hins Cheung at his 2020 concert, which were created by three ITC alumni Derek (DEMO.), Kit Wan (Kit Wan Studios) and Constance Lee (ConStyle). She aspires to their success by starting her academic studies at ITC. After receiving an outstanding HKDSE score, Jennifer’s parents asked if she wanted to study abroad. However, she insisted that she wanted to stay in Hong Kong. “I was surprised that the local designers can create such fascinating designs!” She has confidence in the local fashion industry and would like to create her own brand in the future. “Maybe one day Hins Cheung will wear my designs.” A graduate of Raimondi College, Jennifer majored in Biology, Chemistry, and the Visual Arts. Despite achieving two 5s in Biology and Chemistry, her true passion is in the Visual Arts. “I enjoy the process of making my own garments. The sense of achievement gained is beyond words after seeing the final product.” She sees ITC as the bridge to reach her goals where she can equip herself and grow her networks. “There are many talented students at ITC and I can learn so much from them. ITC is a place where I can build my networks.”  In the coming years, she plans to engage in different aspects of university life. “I would like to be in an intern for local brands like INITIAL and DEMO.” Her targeted destination for the exchange programme is the London College of Fashion. HKDSE exams are always a nerve-racking time for students so Jennifer offers some insights  to those who will be taking the DSE. “It can be stressful and tiring during the HKSDE, but I knew that it was only going to last a very short period of time.” She balanced her study and rest time. “After 6-8 hours of studying, I just laid down on the sofa and watched TV. I would suggest not to push yourself too hard.” She also shares an final tip to prepare for the examinations. “I brought my study notes everywhere with me and glanced at the pages when I was on the road, even if my intentions were not to review or memorise anything. I found that it is really important and effective to become familiar with the syllabus.” "As long as I am determined enough to achieve a goal, I would do my best to achieve it. I was determined to gain admission to ITC regardless of my final DSE score." Karina, Our Lady's College graduate. Another high achiever is To Hang-yin Karina who is a graduate of Our Lady's College. She received an admission scholarship of HK$25,000 with a score of 27.5# for her five best subjects. When Karina was a child, she often dreamt of studying fashion design. She loved going to adventure parks to play mix-and-match games. Her parents also love fashion styling and shopping, and in particular, clothing. Therefore, this childhood environment 'nurtured' her interest in fashion styling. Her dream job is to be a fashion stylist. Being professionally trained at ITC in the next coming four years on fabrics, materials, and tailoring, she believes that she will be fully equipped for a career in the fashion industry. Karina struggled internally when completing her JUPAS form. She was worried that her parents would not support her decision to apply to ITC. In the end, Karina’s parents gave her their unconditional support, even though they knew that Karina had a variety of options from HKU and CUHK due to her outstanding HKDSE results.  Karina also shared her experience with admission and provided some tips. "You don't need to rush the preparation of your portfolio during the examination months, don't waste your precious time for reviewing the exam material." As for setting a review timetable, Karina believes tha everyone has their own schedule and pace of studying. She did not set a specific time for herself to review the materials because "It will be more stressful for me." Karina believes that it is not uncommon that ITC students do not have Visual Arts knowledge. "Having studied Visual Arts is certainly an advantage, which provides the foundation for drawing, and allows you to pick up fashion drawing much more easily. However, all students will be trained to draw and paint at ITC. So they don't really need to worry too much about not being able to adapt to the syllabus." “Hirohiko Araki – my muse for my fashion path.” Shirley, Christian and Missionary Alliance Sun Kei Secondary School graduate Lin Tsz-wing Shirley, who received a scholarship of HK$15,000 with a score of 21.5# for her best 5 subjects, is passionate about art and studied Visual Arts during her secondary school years. “I am interested in any kind of design, especially fashion design. Fashion is art too, as the garment could be a form of art, allowing us to express ourselves." “I did a lot of research about ITC before finalizing my JUPAS choices. I found that there are many learning resources. I felt that ITC would a great place for me to achieve my fashion dreams." Among the five specialisms in the BA scheme programme, Shirley is interested in Intimate Apparel and Activewear as her specialism. She was impressed by the amazing work of the final year students during the freshman seminar. She would like to explore more about the industry, for example, the techniques and the crafting processes. She is also inspired by Victoria’s Secret and the fashionable intimate apparel designs that highlight the beauty of a woman’s body. Shirley is no ordinary girl. She is not interested in the “Five must-do items at University*”.  She just wants to stay focused on her academics and help other people. “When I first came to PolyU, I felt so nervous and lost. Luckily, the student ambassador gave me a lot of guidance and support. Wouldn’t it be meaningful to guide someone like me in the future?” *study, apply for dormitory stay, join a committee of a university-based student organisation, accept a part-time job, and start a love-relationship Shirley says, “I want to thank all my allies at PolyU who gave me tremendous support and interesting learning experiences last semester. I would also like to give a big thank to all of my secondary school classmates for caring about me a lot, and my teachers for giving me valuable advice and encouragement.” Shirley shared a simple tip to students who are facing the DSE: Practice makes perfect. "I know it may sound really cliché but that’s what I did when preparing for the HKDSE, especially Visual Arts. You really need to do a lot of prep work before and during the examination weeks. Stick to your goals and you will achieve them one day."   #The PolyU scoring system giving bonus points to applicants achieving 5 or above, where Level 5** = 8.5; 5*= 7; 5 = 5.5.

Prof. Christina Wong ranked among Top Business & Management Scientists

Research.com released the 1st edition of the annual ranking for top scientists in business and management on February 8, 2022 where Prof. Christina Wong, Professor of ITC and Associate Dean of Graduate School is ranked among the top 50 in the field of Business and Management in China and top 1000 among the world’s top researchers. This recognition demonstrates the excellence of ITC researchers and the influence of world-class research in Fashion and Textiles. In the same release, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has also been ranked as Top Business and Management University. The ranking contains h-index, publications, and citations values collected on Dec 6th, 2021. Leading scientists in Business and Management were selected based on a meticulous examination of more than 5972 scientists on Google Scholar and Microsoft Academic Graph. The h-index threshold for considering a scholar is set to 30 if most of their publications are in the field of Business and Management. The inclusion criteria for scholars to be considered are based on the discipline h-index, proportion of the contributions made within the given discipline in addition to the awards and achievements of the scientists. The discipline h-index threshold is set as an increment of 10 depending on the total number of researchers estimated for each discipline whilst ensuring that the top 1% of leading scientists are considered in the ranking. Congratulations to Prof. Wong!  

Future Retail Challenge 2022 team members shortlisted

There was much excitement leading up to the final audition of the team for Future Retail Challenges 2022 on 27 Jan 2022. Four ITC students are shortlisted to participate in the event at the World Retail Congress, which will be held in April 2022 in Rome, Italy. This year, an industry panel with experts from prestigious companies selected and co-supervised the student representatives, including:  Mr Jimmy CHAN, Head of Account Management, Farfetch Ms Morgane PARIZOT, Education Director, Redress Mr Anthony KEUNG, President and CEO, Fenix Group Holdings Ltd Ms Tracy WONG, General Manager, Trinity Chain Holding Limited Apart from the industry expert panel, ITC academic supervisors - Dr Eunsoo BAEK, Dr Magnum LAM, Dr Tsai Chun HUANG and Dr Salvatore LO SICCO jointly selected and provided guidance to the candidates. Four outstanding students were selected as the competing team: Muskan SHAH (Year 3), LO Wai Chun Katniss (Year 4), TSE Chun Ho Harvas (Year 3) and Simran GULATI (Year 4) from the Fashion Retail and Marketing specialism. They will participate in the competition as a team virtually on behalf of PolyU. Congratulations and good luck! About the World Retail Challenge The competition is a key component of the World Retail Congress, which seeks to promote future talents in the retail industry across the globe by providing an international platform for new ways of thinking and innovative retail ideas. This year's challenge is titled Refashioning Fast Fashion: “How Fast Fashion Can Serve the Needs of Customers and the Planet”. Students are asked to develop a strategic plan that would help fast fashion retailers generate 25% of their income from activities that reduce or replace the use of new products by 2027.

UNIQLO Global Management Program 2022 (Deadline: 27 Feb)

UNIQLO HONG KONG LIMITED's Global Internship Programme is now open for applications. The programme will be conducted during June and July 2022. It is a 5-days intensive online business study program in which students are provided with a unique opportunity to have business sessions with market specialists and FR top management team. Students can also interact with top students from around the world for a chance to present their ideas. Application Deadline : 27 Feb 2022 (Sun) Details of GMP can be found on https://www.fastretailing.com/employment/en/uniqlo/graduate/gmp/ Direct Online Application can be done on https://fastretailing.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/gmp2022

Internship at POPCORN (Jun - Aug 2022)

Visit of Mr Vincent Fang, PolyU fellow and former council member

On 17 January, Mr Vincent Fang, GBS, JP, PolyU fellow and former council, paid a visit to PolyU to learn the latest development of the University and ITC. Mr Fang is also a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, representing the Wholesale and Retail functional constituency. He was well received by PolyU President Prof. Jin-guang Teng and ITC Head and Chair Professor, Prof. Jintu Fan. Mr Fang was impressed by the innovative research works and creative students works.

MA online programme sharing (Online application open until: 30 April 2022)

ITC have successfully organised two online sharing sessions via VooV meeting on 10 December 2021 and 7 January 2022, in which the programme leaders, current students and alumni have connected with the students from different fashion/textile schools in Mainland China to introduce our taught postgraduate programmes. Mr Ryan Houlton, programme leader of Master of Arts in Fashion and Textile Design (Programme code:14097) introduced the programme as well as their industry collaborations with Bbase and Camper. “Throughout their study, students will be encouraged to develop independent learning methods and exchange ideas through guided experimentation. They will identify and explore their design D.N.A and develop a final major research project through intensive design development, research and studio practice.” Mr Houlton said. Another programme was introduced by Dr Rachel Yee, programme leader of Master of Arts in Fashion and Textiles (Programme code:14102) and Dr Magnum Lam. Dr Yee mentioned, “Through this MA programme, graduates can integrate these forms of disciplinary knowledge and advance their own expertise, analytical skills and visions to a more sophisticated postgraduate level. Graduates are knowledgeable in innovative practices for today's textile and fashion business, and can effectively manage globally dispersed interacting business tasks.” Ms Marina Ma, current student of MA in Fashion and Textile Design, and Ms Jessica Sun, new graduate of MA in Fashion and Textile have also shared their study experiences during the live chat session. The two sharing sessions were well received and each with over 200 participants. With the support of PolyU Shenzhen Research Institute (SZRI), the sharing sessions were also broadcasted on WeChat (xiaoe-tech). People who are interested in our taught postgraduate programmes are welcome to review the sharing at the links below: (You are advised to open the link via WeChat) 1st Taught Postgraduate programme online sharing (10 Dec 2021) 2nd Taught Postgraduate programme online sharing (7 Jan 2022) Online application for two programmes is open until 30 April 2022. Master of Arts in Fashion and Textile Design (Programme code:14097): APPLY NOW Master of Arts in Fashion and Textiles (Programme code:14102): APPLY NOW

ITC develops novel anti-virus 3D printing material that terminates over 90% of COVID-19 in 10 minutes

With the Omicron variant making its way into the local community, the Government announced tightening COVID-19 measures to contain the epidemic. The public should stay vigilant to maintain good personal hygiene at all times to strengthen individual defence against the pandemic. At present, some public facilities such as doorknobs in public toilets and lift buttons have poor cleanliness, and can become breeding grounds for viruses and bacteria, thus posing a threat to public health. An interdisciplinary research team from PolyU has successfully developed the world's first “anti-virus 3D printing material” (material) that can kill the COVID-19 virus on surfaces as well as most common viruses and bacteria. The main component of the material is resin, added with anti-viral agents such as cationic compounds, to damage the membrane of the virus and destroy its structure to kill the virus and bacteria. Dr Chris Lo, Associate Professor of ITC,who led the research team, said that laboratory tests confirmed the material can kill 70% of the COVID-19 virus and other viruses/bacteria surviving on a surface within two minutes; eliminate over 90% of viruses within 10 minutes; and terminate almost all viruses and bacteria on a surface in 20 minutes. Dr. Lo said, “This material is a resin material with high anti-virus performance. Using 3D printing technology, it can be produced in different forms catering to different needs. It is therefore highly flexible and can be used extensively in public facilities to provide epidemic prevention support to the community.” The team has already applied patent of this technology and application, and will use it for commercial purposes in future. In the past year, with the support of the laboratory of PolyU’s University Research Facility in 3D Printing (U3DP), the research team has collaborated with the Home Affairs Department, the Hong Kong Wetland Park and an environmental organisation to produce recycling bin handles, toilet doorknob covers, lift buttons, braille boards and more, in order to conduct further tests and trials of the effectiveness and durability of the material in killing viruses. Prof. Chi-wai KAN, a member of the research team and Professor of ITC said, “Even after use for a year, not only is the handle on the recycling bin still in good condition, no COVID-19 virus, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus are detected on the handle’s surface. This proves that the efficacy rate of the material only diminishes gradually after three years of use, and is effective in fighting against viruses and bacteria. Since the material kills viruses via physical means, it can still exert the same effect on mutant viruses.” Prof. Kan added that because the disinfection components of the material are embedded in the products rather than coated on the surface, daily cleaning with disinfectants such as bleach does not compromise its anti-virus performance. The research team will also collaborate with the Sham Shui Po District Office to produce doorknob protective covers for over 100 unmanaged “Three-Nil” buildings in the district and install these covers on doors frequently used by residents, so as to reduce the risk of virus transmission in buildings. The team hopes to apply the material to primary and secondary schools, healthcare facilities, and public transportation systems.