News

ITC research projects funded $21M from ITF and GRF

16 ITC projects have been funded a total of $21M from the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) and General Research Fund (GRF). These projects are diversed in different areas and range from electronic fabric and textiles, yarns, 3D printing, medical clothing, and more.   The funded research projects have demonstrated the strong research capabilities of the ITC staff members and their commitment to the well-being of the community. Congratulations to the successful recipients of the funding. The funded research projects are listed below. ITF Project Title  Project-in-charge  Trial: Innovation of Highly Efficient Far Infrared Functional Textiles  Dr Li Li  AI-assisted Personal Training Gear to Monitor and Enhance Exercise Performance  Dr Joanne YIP  Development of High Value-added Vortex Yarns and Fabrics with Enhanced Flame-resistance and Comfort  Dr Tao HUA  Development of Flexible Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (FSERS) System for Food Safety Detection  Prof. Kinor JIANG  Cellulosic 3D Printing Flexible Material for Apparel  Prof. Chi Wai KAN  Development of an Automatic Measuring System for Vertical Wicking  Prof. Chi Wai KAN  Surgical Mask with Unidirectional Moisture Transport Property  Prof. Zijian ZHENG   GRF Project Title Project-in-charge Hierarchically Buckled Surface Engineering of Textile Substrates with Stretchable Porous Microarchitectures Prof. Bingang XU Study of electronically controllable fabric handle simulator for online applications Prof. Xiao-ming TAO Design and Modeling of Electricity-Regulated Wicking Fabric for Personal Moisture Management Dr Dahua SHOU A Study of Self-Powered Electronic Textiles Enabled by Addictive Functionalization and Embroidery Manufacturing Dr Qiyao HUANG An Investigation of the Thermodynamics, Mechanisms, and Adsorption Phenomena Related to the Application of Reactive Dyes to Cellulosic Fibres in Reverse Micellar Dyeing System Prof. Chi Wai KAN Ergonomic Leggings with Twisted Actuation Yarns for Improving Compression Therapy Dr Bin FEI Study of Molecular Scale Active Graphdiyne based Ionic Polymer Actuators Prof. Wei CHEN  Locking in International Buyer-Supplier Relationships: Evidence from the US-China Trade War Dr Di FAN

Dr Dahua Shou receives support for “Development of Soft Robotic Clothing for Adaptive Thermal Management”

Dr Dahua Shou is the most recent recipient of research support from the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) via The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles (HKRITA) for his project. It involves the development of soft robotic clothing for adaptive thermal management. The ITF which is administered by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC), aims to increase the added value, productivity, and competitiveness in innovation and technology. Personal thermal management is critical for the comfort and performance of human beings, especially for those who stay in varying thermal conditions. However, there are issues with wearing a conventional coat because the garment has a constant thermal resistance, which may fail to meet thermal requirements with changes in climate. For example, there is a large temperature difference between the different times of the day when the weather is changing from sunny to cloudy, or between morning and afternoon, or with indoor and outdoor environments. Therefore, thermoregulation of the body can be quite challenging. Moreover, excessive heat from highly active activities can often cause discomfort to wearers. For instance, the dramatically increased metabolic rate from resting to walking, which is 75 and 174 W/m2, respectively, will cause wearers to suffer from heat stress and heavy sweating even in the cold during the winter. The after-chill effect caused by wet clothing after sweating can be harmful and even fatal to human health. Maintaining a comfortable body temperature is one of the most basic human needs, but a substantial amount of energy is consumed to maintain a constant ambient temperature. Heating and cooling needs account for over 50% of building energy used, but the US Department of Energy projects a 9% -18% energy cost reduction when the thermostat is turned down 10 - 20°F. Therefore, thermal management clothing that maintains thermal comfort whilst adapting to an increased range of ambient temperature is highly desirable. Dr Shou’s project intends to design and develop thermally adaptive clothing to maintain the body temperature of the wearer for comfort and performance under various thermal environments, by optimally regulating the clothing microclimate based on a novel soft robotic technology. Realising a thermal adaptive function within the same item of clothing is not only an exciting scientific challenge but also a significant technological advancement.

Congratulations Jordi: Newest Executive Assistant @ Louis Vuitton

Over the past decades, the flagship programme of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC), the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles, has nurtured nearly three hundred young fashion talents to support the fashion and textile industry in Hong Kong, Mainland China and internationally. Recently, one of our graduating students, Jordi Wu King-ho, has been hired as Executive Assistant to the Private Client Director (North Asia) of Louis Vuitton. Jordi explained that “It took me three months to land this role for which I’m beyond grateful. This pandemic during our academic year has been without a doubt a huge obstacle in job hunting. I must say it’s my determination and sheer fortune that kept me going as I faced the LV Management Trainee interview to working as an event docent and eventually now I am in this incredible role." Indeed, Jordi is well-equipped for this challenging position thanks to the undergraduate programme. "I have been so blessed to have the opportunity to work in a jewellery event within a week after being hired. I was able to fully utilise what I had learnt at ITC during my four years, especially using knowledge from the subject "Business Development of Luxury Accessories and Lifestyle Products" which was taught by Dr Chloe Ki. I used storytelling strategies and explained how designers highlight the brand elements from the heritage of trunk making into jewel designs.

Staff retirement

After many years of dedicated service, Dr Patrick Hui and Dr Roger Ng will retired in November 2021. They are currently on the pre-retirement leave. Dr Patrick Hui. Associate Professor, gained his Higher Diploma in Textile Technology from the Hong Kong Polytechnic in 1984, an MSc in Technological Economics from the University of Stirling, UK in 1988, an MSc in Information Systems from the Hong Kong Polytechnic in 1992, an MSc(Eng.) in Computers in Manufacturing from the University of Hong Kong in 1995, a PhD from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 1999, and a LLB (Hons) from the University of Wolverhampton, UK in 2004. He is a Chartered Engineer. He also holds professional diplomas in marketing, finance and accounting, and is a chartered member of both the British Computer Society and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Dr Hui joined ITC as Lecturer in 1993. In 2012, Dr Hui was promoted to Associate Professor and was responsible for teaching computing subjects at both the degree and sub-degree levels, and his research interests are IT law, e-commerce, information systems and the application of intelligent computing in textile and clothing industries. He has published over 100 refereed journal papers and conference papers. Dr Roger Ng, Senior Teaching Fellow, graduated with BSc in Applied Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology in the USA, and PhD in Clothing Studies from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He also completed a MA in Philosophy and a MA in Fine Arts from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.  In 2014, Dr Ng received his Fellowship of Hong Kong Institution of Textiles and Apparel, followed by the Fellowship of Textile Institute in 2018. For the past 35 years, Dr Ng has been actively serving the industry in various capacity, including Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Textile Mills Association, Past Vice Chairman of Hong Kong Textile Council, Past Convener of Employees Retraining Board (Apparel Products and Textiles Industry Committee), Past Convener, World Skill Competition Hong Kong (Apparel Industry), Past Chairman, The Occupational Safety & Health Council (Import Export and Wholesale Retail Trade Safety and Health Committee). His teaching specialties include aesthetics and theory of fashion design; and garment pattern design. ITC wishes them all the best and thank them for their service.

Psy Lau shortlisted at Redress Design Award 2021

BA year 3 student, Psy Lau, who is majoring in fashion design, is shortlisted for , which is the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition. Psy’s collection is titled ‘A.D.H.D.’, and inspired by her personal experience of suffering from attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She hopes that the collection will remind people to love themselves and not discriminate others even if they are a bit different. The collection also hints at fashion sustainability. Psy feels that “Nowadays, people love to buy clothes without thinking and buying second-hand clothes can be a menial task”. Therefore, she ensured that her collection has zero-waste, and uses upcycling and reconstruction techniques, putting together second-hand clothing, knitwear and suits, industry surplus, damaged textiles and yarns in a textured contrasting palette of yellow and black. Also, Psy emphasizes environmentally friendly materials in her collection. Wool and cotton are used to represent the strength of those with ADHD because like these natural fibres, individuals with ADHD are incredibly strong and resilient. Second-hand suits, clothing samples and damaged textiles and swatches are widely used to cater to the upcycling concept in her collection. In addition to the use of renewable materials, Psy applies reconstruction techniques by combining knitwear and suits. Natural dye from plant-roots is used to impart colour. About the Redress Design Award The Redress Design Award is a competition that is used to educate emerging fashion designers around the world about sustainable design theories and techniques to drive a circular fashion system. This year, ten finalists from Taiwan, the United States, Mainland China, the United Kingdom, Germany, India and Hong Kong are shortlisted for the grand finale on 11 September 2021 in Hong Kong, where the winners will be announced. International judges include: Orsola de Castro, Fashion Designer, Global Creative Director and Co-founder, Fashion Revolution Desiree Au, Founding Publisher of Vogue Hong Kong Angus Tsui, Creative Director, ANGUS TSUI and alumnus, Redress Design Award Cecilie Throrsmark, CEO, Copenhagen Fashion Week Mahmoud Salahy, Vice President and Managing Director, Timberland APAC Sean Cady, Vice President, Global Sustainability, Responsibility and Trade, VF Corporation Jeannie Renne- Malone, Vice President, Global Sustainability, VF Corporation Christophe Degoix, Chief Operating Officer, TAL Apparel Ltd.

World leading result for RAE 2020

ITC is pleased to share that among the results of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2020 announced by the Hong Kong’s University Grant Committee (UGC), ITC research performances are appraised as “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” by multiple judging panels. The RAE was conducted by the UGC to assess the research performance of all UGC-funded universities for the past 6 years with international benchmarks.   Double full scores: remarkable improvement in ITC design research PolyU’s RAE 2020 submission to the Creative Arts, Performing Arts & Design panel (UoA38) received double full scores for impact case studies and research environment, which is the best performance in this area among the eight UGC-funded institutions. Prof. Kinor Jiang’s research work on metallic coated textiles was one of the 3 impact case studies submitted. His work was given 4 stars in the assessment. Overall, 69% of the research work is rated 3 stars (internationally excellent) and 4 stars (world leading). In addition, research outputs saw a marked improvement from RAE 2014, with an increase of 31% to 55% for 3- and 4-stars outputs. The collective contribution of ITC to the research outputs submission comprised research work on designing for sportswear, ergonomic apparel, fashion, interactive textiles, metal coated fabrics and fashion research for older people. ITC’s contributors to UoA38 are (in alphabetical order by last name): Dr Joe Au, Dr Chu-Po Ho, Prof. Kinor Jiang, Dr Rong Liu, Dr Wing-Sun Liu, Dr Frankie Ng, Dr Kristina Shin, Dr Jeanne Tan, Dr Kit-Lun Yick and Dr Joanne Yip. Prof. Calvin Wong, Coordinator of the UoA 38 Steering Committee. Prof. Calvin Wong, Coordinator of the UoA 38 Steering Committee, led ITC and SD colleagues over a period of 2 years to achieve this unprecedented submission result. The high scores highlight PolyU’s commitment to forward-looking research and the diverse and innovative research work of ITC design colleagues. Prof. Calvin Wong said, “The journey to the RAE 2020 took meticulous planning and execution by the steering committee, consultants and all of the contributing colleagues of ITC and SD. I would like to thank our former Dean, Prof. Wing-tak Wong, steering committee members from SD and ITC: Laurent Gutierrez, Johan Hoorn, Michael Siu and Jeanne Tan, our consultants and all colleagues for their support, advice and contributions.”   World leading ratings for all three ITC technology impact case studies Maintaining a strong growth momentum, the technology and business areas of study at ITC have made remarkable contributions to UoA14 by demonstrating research excellence and great impacts on society and the industry. ITC submitted two impact case studies to UoA14 which were assessed by the mechanical engineering, production engineering, textile technology and aerospace engineering panel, and also contributed one impact case to UoA8 for assessment by the Materials Science and Materials Technology (Dept. Applied Physics) panel. All three impact cases submitted by ITC were rated as world leading (4-stars). The 4-star research impact cases include research work by Prof. Y Li, Prof. Jintu Fan and Prof. John Xin - “New international standards and instruments upgrade the textiles and clothing industry” and Prof. Xiaoming Tao, Prof. Bingang Xu and Dr Tao Hua - “Green technology improves productivity and creates profit for global textile manufacturers” which were judged by the engineering panel. Prof. Helen LW Chan, Prof. Yu Wang, Dr Yang Chai and Prof. Xiaoming Tao were given a 4 star-rating by the physical science panel for “Flexible electronic devices for smart wearable applications”. The assessments for research output, impacts and environment for UoA14, which include ITC technology and business areas, have achieved an overall research rating of 41% for 4-stars and 42% for 3-stars, that is, 83% of the research has been rated world-leading or internationally excellent. Prof. Xiaoming Tao. Prof. Xiaoming Tao, the ITC coordinator for the submission of case studies in technology and business, feels very happy and proud of the achievement of ITC’s colleagues, as it is a testimonial of the long-term vision, persistent devotion and hard work to build a world-class institution in fashion and textile research. She would like to thank ITC colleagues, the PolyU, FAST and ITC management as well as external advisers and industrial partners for their strong support and teamwork, which has resulted in such an outstanding RAE result. ITC’s contributors to the research output of UoA14 (in alphabetical order by last name) are: Prof. Jason Choi, Dr Bin Fei, Prof. Hong Hu, Prof. Jinlian Hu, Dr Tao Hua, Dr Patrick Hui, Prof. Chi-wai Kan, Dr Robert Lau, Dr Li Li, Dr Chris Lo, Dr. Nuruzzaman Noor, Dr Tracy Mok, Prof. Songmin Shang, Prof. Xiaoming Tao, Dr Chester To, Prof. Christina Wong, Prof. Calvin Wong, Prof. John Xin, Prof. Bingang Xu, Dr Rachel Yee, and Prof. Zijian Zheng. These results highlight the excellence and continuous improvement of ITC in world leading research work. We will continue to conduct research that leads to original, significant and rigorous research outputs, as well as having far-reaching and significant impacts on society and the industry.

$HK50,000 from URIS funds ITC undergraduate student

Simran Gulati, a Year 3 ITC student, is the successful recipient of HK$ 50,000 from the Undergraduate Research and Innovation Scheme (URIS). Under the guidance and supervision of Dr Eunsoo Baek, Assistant Professor in Fashion Retail & Marketing, Simran will be responsible for research work titled “Tactics of online product display: The effect of empty space in a product image on consumers in the online shopping context”. With the popularity of e-commerce and contactless shopping, product images online have become more important than ever. These images communicate product information visually, which facilitates consumers to inspect the product and mentally visualise its usage before they make a purchase decision. The research work focuses on examining how different amounts of empty space in product images affect psychological distance, thereby affecting the product evaluation of consumers. Dr Baek (left) and Simran Gulati. About the Undergraduate Research and Innovation Scheme (URIS) The URIS is a prestigious programme that aims to strengthen academic curiosity and enquiry-based learning among undergraduate students. The purpose of this programme is to nurture the next generation of researchers and innovators. Under the URIS, undergraduate students are given the opportunity to undertake small-scale research projects under the guidance and supervision of academic staff who are strong in research.

Technology transfer online seminar | Technology innovation and quality development of textile industries in China

Prof. Kinor Jiang, Professor of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC), facilitated an online seminar on 5 June 2021, titled "Technology innovation and quality development of textile industries in China under the complex environment". The seminar was presented by Prof. Guangwei Fu, Chairman of the China Textile Engineering Society. Jointly organized by ITC and The Shenzhen Research Institute, the seminar attracted over hundred attendees to join. With the increasing complicity of economic and political environment, technology innovation and quality development become the trend of textile and apparel industry in China. In the seminar, Prof. Fu analyzed the competitive advantages for the rapid development of the textile industry from a technical perspective, and reveals the key attributes of such development. About Prof. Guangwei Fu Prof. Guangwei Fu, PhD, EMBA, is the Chairman of China Textile Engineering Society; Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of China Textile Information Center; Director of CNTAC Testing Center; Chairman and General Manager of the National Textile Fabric Museum; Director of CTES Textile Industry Research Institute; Deputy Director of Standardization Committee of CNTAC. He is also appointed as the Chairman of Federation of Asian Professional Textile Associations; Vice Chairman of Advanced Materials Alliance of CAST Member Societies; Deputy Secretary-General of Intelligent Manufacturing Alliance of CAST Member Societies; Joint Professor of Donghua University, Jiangnan University, Wuhan Textile University, Xi’an Polytechnic University, Qingdao University, Zhongyuan Institute of Technology; Honorary Dean of School of Textile Garment and Design of Changshu Institute of Technology. Prof. Fu has participated in a number of national projects and research projects, presided over the construction of China Textile Industry Public Service Demonstration Platform. He has published more than 50 academic papers, has applied for a number of national patents of invention, and has won second prize of the provincial level of science and technology progress award in three items, and third prize in two items. He was National Textile Advanced Workers in 2006.

Update: PolyU Fashion Show 2021 and PolyU Intimate Fashion Show 2021

In view of the instability of the COVID-19 pandemic situation and the stringent social distancing measures, we regret that PolyU Fashion Show 2021 and PolyU Intimate Fashion Show 2021 which were originally scheduled in July will be cancelled. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted all global citizens and its local resurgence has affected everyone in Hong Kong. Yet despite the unprecedented challenges of the current circumstances, the graduating class of 2021 have all completed their final collections this year. As we understand the gravity of the situation for all graduating students, we have taken steps to ensure the best means of showcasing the collections. Student works will be displayed in a new way, under the new norm. A video shoot will be arranged for the finalists of the two shows to showcase their collections.  Please stay tuned for the videos and creative designs of the finalists. To preview finalists' collections of the two shows, please visit ITC Instagram and Facebook Fan Page for more.

"Let‘s Go Green" Woven Bag Design Competition crowns Chu Pak-yin Champion

BA student Chu Pak-yin, who is majoring in technology, was crowned Champion in a canvas bag design competition, “Let’s Go Green”, which was organised by the Environmental Protection Department. Pak-yin believes sustainable development ties together the concerns of the carrying capacity of natural systems with the social, political, and economic challenges faced by humanity. The bag is printed with images of renewable energy and many products related to recycling, such as solar lamp posts, wind power generators, recycling bins, and recycling stations, thus showing the concept of sustainable living and a green lifestyle. Through beautiful designs, the ‘Let‘s Go Green’ woven bag design competition aims to encourage the public to use reusable eco-friendly shopping bags and reduce the use of disposable plastic bags. The hope is that youths will integrate creative design into their daily life and act as ambassadors of environmental protection to all levels of society.