News

ITC contributes to legacy of the cheongsam

The “Hong Kong Cheongsam Making Technique” was added to the “National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage” in June 2021. As the leading fashion institute in Hong Kong, the Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC) responded to this honour by organising the first ever cheongsam seminar called “Deconstructing Male and Female Cheongsam: Aesthetics and Craftsmanship” after the monumental inscription. The seminar was held on 25 June 2021 in a hybrid format with in-person attendance at PolyU and delivered simultaneously online as a webinar. Nearly one hundred participants attended the event. The seminar was a gathering of likeminded parties who are passionate about preserving the legacy of the cheongsam, including the Intangible Cultural Heritage Office (ICHO), Hong Kong Cheongsam Association (HKCA), South China Research Centre (SCRC), Cheongsam Connect (CC), Shanghai Tailoring Worker General Union, veteran cheongsam masters, fashion designers, researchers, academics, and students from fellow fashion institutes. They had the opportunity to network and share knowledge on the conservation of this textile art. Dr Brenda Li, advisor of the HKCA, gave an informative and inspiring lecture on “Deconstructing Male and Female Cheongsam: Aesthetics and Craftsmanship”. She deliberated on the history, development, aesthetics, authentic forms, and wisdom of the craftsmanship of the cheongsam for both men and women. Dr Li specifically addressed the risk of extinction of tailoring techniques of authentic men’s cheongsam and the urgency to train and cultivate successors to carry on the tradition. ITC has been at the forefront of research work, projects, and teaching not only in fashion design, technology, and business, but also in fashion culture and traditional craftsmanship. The Hong Kong Cheongsam is one of the areas that the department has been supporting and contributing to its legacy. Since 2011, ITC has been cooperating with the Hong Kong Museum of History, researchers of fellow universities and institutes, and the ICHO in a variety of cheongsam related projects. In 2021, ITC joined the HKCA as an institutional member and proactively contributes to efforts in preserving the cheongsam. With the aim to connect different entities, the Deconstructing Male and Female Cheongsam: Aesthetics and Craftsmanship seminar took the lead in initiating a comprehensive network among cheongsam enthusiasts and related authorities, which marks the start of ITC in advocating for and supporting this national cultural heritage legacy.

International Student Fashion Film Contest 2021 | Award presentation ceremony

The award presentation ceremony of the International Student Fashion Film Contest 2021, successfully held on 20 September in ITC 4D Theatre and streamed on Zoom. The ISFFC 2021 was conducted between May and July 2021. With the supports of young talents who have great enthusiasm for fashion film, over 50 participants from fashion institutes across the world had submitted their creative works under the theme of FASHIONLOCALISM. Thanks to the professional assessments of the jury panel, 10 outstanding submissions have been shortlisted as the finalists for the 5 titled awards and merits. Their works demonstrated high levels of innovativeness and distinctive fashion interpretations. To celebrate the success of ISFCC 2021, we are delighted to share that the ISFFC2021 Virtual Exhibition organized by The Fashion Gallery of Institute of Textiles & Clothing, is now showcasing the quality works of the finalists online. The details of the virtual exhibition are as follows: ISFFC2021 Virtual Exhibition Exhibition Link: https://www.fashiongallery.hk/international-student-fashion-film-contest The Fashion Gallery: https://www.fashiongallery.hk A thematic webinar titled 'Fashion versus Costumes, In the world of movies' was also held that day. We are honoured to have Edith Cheung, the award-winning costume designer, who has a wealth of experience in the textile industry, costume design, art direction, and film industry to be the guest speaker. Her sharing has bought us great inspiration for costumes in movies. About The International Student Fashion Film Contest 2021 The International Student Fashion Film Contest 2021 (ISFFC2021) aims to promote and award-recognize creativity and innovativeness in the fashion-related fields; discover and nurture young fashion talents and facilitate fashion careers; provide non-profit making and interdisciplinary networking opportunities for international fashion connections; and promote sustainability, cultural diversity, and idea exchange around the world.

Dr Dahua Shou award recipient at 6th International Invention Competition in Canada

Dr Dahua Shou, Assistant Professor, is the recipient of the Semi-Grand Prize and Gold Medal at the 6th International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada, (iCAN) 2021 for his research project titled "Sweatextile: A Sweatable Textile for High Comfort and Protection". This year, iCAN featured 650 inventions from 70 countries around the world, which redefined the event as the true global stage for worldwide inventors in Toronto, Canada. Humans sweat to cool down and dissipate heat in indoor and outdoor environments. However, when the body produces excessive sweat, clothing will be soaked in perspiration and the wearer will feel clammy, which causes discomfort and significantly affects the quality of life. Sweating is also time costly with the need for sweat management. Transcending beyond existing wicking textiles, Sweatextile (適維泰) uses nature-inspired innovations and acts like a textile skin, quickly directing and dissipating excessive sweat as water droplets onto its outer surface, keeping the wearer dry and comfortable, with more energy and endurance. In the meantime, Sweatextile is amazingly repellent to external liquids, protecting the wearer from rain or contaminated water. The unidirectional water dissipation of this textile is achieved by the hydrophilic-hydrophobic gradient in the local ‘sweat glands’ of the globally hydrophobic Sweatextile. An outstanding directional-water-transport-capability of 1647.9% is obtained by a moisture management tester in accordance with AATCC 195. Furthermore, a premium version of Sweatextile integrated with a waterproof spacing fabric shell can resist water at a hydrostatic head of 8,000 mm as a form of protection, while still allowing quick and directional sweat removal. Sweatextile (適維泰) is inspired by nature, and acts like a textile skin, quickly directing and dissipating excessive sweat as water droplets onto its outer surface, keeping you dry and comfortable, with more energy and endurance. Funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund of the Innovation and Technology Commission, Sweatextile, a promise of excellent thermal and moisture comfort, is suitable for a wide range of consumers such as outdoor enthusiasts, by enhancing customized thermoregulation and saving energy from the need to manage sweat. Vigorously active professionals including athletes, construction workers, medical personnel, and firefighters will also find Sweatextile to be highly desirable. About International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada The International Invention Innovation Competition in Canada (iCAN) is the premier event of Canada for worldwide inventors. The main purpose of iCAN is to build a special platform to unite creativity and innovative initiatives of inventors with the rest of the world by providing everyone with the golden opportunity to expand their international network and business activities, and promote their inventions, new products and research projects with the possibility of achieving a new milestone of success through the iCAN Awards. iCAN 2021 features a range of different online programs: invention competition, presentations of educational keynote speakers, the Finals Movie and the Finals Award Winners announcement.

Imperial College Business School admits ITC alumna Sammie Wong

Congratulations to one of our most recent graduates, Sammie Wong (BA, 2021), who has been admitted to the Imperial College Business School in London. She will be using the Innovation and Technology Scholarship 2020 (related news here) to pursue her Master's degree in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management. Studying fashion has been a dream of Sammie since she was 13 years old. Her interest in fashion has been deeply inspired by Lady Gaga and Alexander McQueen. Sammie says, "I want to express myself through fashion. Fashion is an expression of art, personality, and everyday emotions. Fashion design has always been one of my passions." She always loves to be inspired through social phenomena and design garments that carry meaning and create visual impact.  However, after participating in World Retail Congress 2020, Sammie realised that she enjoys interacting with others and discussing business ideas. "I realised that I do not want to specialise in fashion design for my career. After doing a lot of research and consulting with my professors and mentors, I made the decision to apply for this Master’s programme." Looking back at her four year study at ITC, she feels that she cherishes the friendships formed at ITC the most. "People at ITC are all open-minded, friendly, and stylish. From Year 1 to Year 4, we have gone through ups and downs together and always supported each other. I would like to give a shout out to Rachel, my friend, who is also a graduate of ITC. She reminded me of the importance of enrolling in a business school for my Master's degree which would give me the professional basis for my future career," said Sammie. After she completes her Master's degree, Sammie would like to find work as a branding/art consultant. Her goal is to be an entrepreneur who helps Hong Kong creative talents connect with international business partners and nurture fashion startups. "Hong Kong talents only need a stage to showcase their masterpieces. I hope that my generation, or Generation X, would be proud of their culture and people from their homeland." Finally, Sammie shared some advice for future applicants of the Imperial College of Business. “Always be well-planned, presentable, and take advantage of your university’s resources.”

Cady Lee, Toki Wong and Topsy Yu bagged all awards at the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest 2021

What a rewarding evening on 12 Sept 2021. Our graduating student and alumni bagged four awards with their creativity at the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest (YDC) 2021, one of the most prestigious events of its kind in the region. The champion and the winner of the Best Visual Presentation Award, BA graduating student Lee Pui-kwan Cady, majored in Design, received a total of HK$70,000, and an overseas study trip. Cady is also the winner of the Overall Grand Award of PolyU Fashion Show 2021. Wong To-ki, Toki (BA, 2015), majored in Knitwear Design and Technology, won the Excellent Award. He received a total of HK$40,000 and also an overseas study trip. By creating this collection "Zoom Olympic", Toki wondered how the participants would be affected if the Olympic Games are organised in digital format. "I explore the idea of how one should cope with challenges when situations don't turn out how you expect," Toki said. My Favourite Collection Award went to Yu Cheuk-lam, Topsy (BA, 2020) who is majored in Design. This award has been newly added since 2020, with members of the public voting online for their favourite new design star in Hong Kong. She was awarded HK$10,000 Lee Gardens Area e-Gift Certificates. “Morning Moon” is a historical story about the Chinese character "曌". Inspired by the traditional clothing of the Tang Dynasty, Topsy applied contemporary craftsmanship to reinterpret ancient design. It combines rigidity and softness, revealing the inner strength of a woman. The judging panel for this year’s YDC was made up of an impressive roster of fashion experts and media pundits. Chief Judge was Katherine Fang, Chairman of the HKTDC Garment Advisory Committee. VIP Judges are Lisi Herrebrugh and Rushemy Botter, Creative Director and Founder of BOTTER.  The other judges on the panel were: Jonathan Lee, Senior Area Manager (Asia) of Tomorrow Ltd Jason Lam, Regional Director, Asia Pacific at MATCHESFASHION Innis Liu, General Merchandising Manager at Harvey Nichols Kat Yeung, Editorial Director of VOGUE Hong Kong Kieran Ho, Senior Vice President-Hong Kong of Purple PR The judges assessed the young designers’ works based on creativity, originality, market potential, craftsmanship, use of fabrics and overall aesthetics, offering expert feedback to each of the finalists.   (Photo source: Hong Kong Trade Development Council)

ITC STORE @ CENTRESTAGE 2021

ITC STORE, an innovative ITC fashion lifestyle lab that cultivates and supports the next generation of creative and avant-garde fashion talents, participated as a key exhibition partner at CENTRESTAGE 2021 in September 2021. The event took place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. ITC STORE hosted two mega-sized premium showroom booths to present the creative work of 17 local young design talents including 11 PolyU alumni and 2 ITC fashion design students. As an incubation platform for local design entrepreneurship, ITC STORE has worked closely with our participating designers and showcased high-quality local designs which range from fashion-clothing to accessories, bags, and jewellery at the event. Our innovative PU30 masks were also featured. The main ITC STORE showroom booth featured 9 designer brands for business-to-business (B2B) trading. Apart from gaining more public exposure, designers were invited to participate in both face-to-face and virtual business-matching meetings with local and overseas buyers, suppliers, and retailers. One of the PolyU alumni brands, Midnight Factory, was also featured with a local fashion design incubation platform FashionAlly and promoted in the well known fashion magazine Hypebeast.  On the other hand, the pop-up retail booth took the form of a bazaar that promoted emerging creative designs from 8 designer brands including 2 among our BA Year 2 students. Their works were also highlighted and reported by the online media HolidaySmart. Amidst the ongoing pandemic, ITC Store continues to explore and offer valuable opportunities and a practical platform for local young design start-ups so that they can gain market exposure and showcase their creativity at major fashion events in Hong Kong. About CENTRESTAGE 2021 CENTRESTAGE is one of the largest annual fashion showcases in Hong Kong. This year, the event was organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council from 10 to 12 September 2021 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event featured over 200 designer brands from over 20 countries and regions.

Prof. Wei Chen and colleagues publish in highly impactful journal

Prof. Wei Chen, Professor of ITC, and his colleagues recently published an article titled “Flexible stimuli-responsive materials for smart personal protective equipment” on flexible actuators in Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports, a journal with a very high impact factor. Flexible actuators are light-mass, flexible, and easy to manufacture. They have been recognised worldwide as key technology for soft robots, biomedical devices and smart wearables. For example, wearable devices that offer a performance similar to that of skeletal muscles, can be worn directly by injured individuals or the disabled for home rehabilitation or care purposes. Additionally, flexible haptic actuators can facilitate feeling of an object in a remote place or allow a virtual world object to feel more real. In “Flexible stimuli-responsive materials for smart personal protective equipment”, Prof. Chen and his colleagues discuss how these flexible materials are deformable, stretchable, light-weight, and desirable for smart personal protective equipment (PPE), and as the primarily functional components in the wearable system which spontaneously responds to surrounding variations. These materials enable traditional PPE that provide passive protection to be smart with the ability to sense, actuate, change in surface and self-heal, thus enhancing protection and reducing unintentional occupation injuries. The article presents a critical review of the structure, properties, fundamental mechanisms and current development of flexible stimuli-responsive materials and their potential/present applications to smart PPE, covering strain, pressure, temperature, and gas sensors, biopotential electrodes, exosystems, switchable wetting surfaces and biosafety masks. Scientific and practical challenges along with critical issues and opportunities are also discussed. In terms of smart fashion design, the application of flexible actuators can increase the dynamics and attractiveness of fashion products while accommodating the body shape. Therefore, flexible actuation technology can have a substantial impact on smart wearables and smart living, and subsequently produce more interesting and useful applications. Studies in the bionic field have been greatly challenged by the desire to attain an actuation level like biological muscles. Therefore, it is important to develop new actuation materials at the nanoscale or molecular level and develop new device structures in the configuration of fibres or fabric, with the aim to instil ground-breaking progress in muscle-like actuators and promote innovative technology in the long term. Materials Science & Engineering R publishes papers that cover a full spectrum of materials science and engineering with a high impact factor of 36.214, ranking it third out of 160 in Physics, Applied Science. Research by Prof. Chen and his students and colleagues on flexible actuators has also been published in other journals, including Progress in Polymer Science in 2020 (IF: 24.505); Advanced Intelligent Systems in 2020; Nature Communications in 2015 and 2018 (IF: 14.919), and Advanced Materials, multiple years from 2010 to 2016 (IF: 30.849). Li-sha Zhang, Jun Li, Fei Wang, Ji-dong Shi, Wei Chen, Xiao-ming Tao. (2021). Flexible stimuli-responsive materials for smart personal protective equipment, Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports (146) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mser.2021.10062.

Dr Manas Kumar Sarkar presented at International e-Conference on Sustainable Growth in Textile

Dr Manas Kumar Sarkar was presented on “Sustainable Bio-mimicked Functional Textiles and Clothing” as a keynote speaker in the International e-Conference on Sustainable Growth in Textile (SGT-2021) organized by UP Textile Technology Institute (formerly GCTI) Kanpur, India, on 21 August 2021. The 3-day conference aims to promote quality research and real impact in an atmosphere of true national cooperation among scientists, researchers, academicians, engineers and industrialists by bringing together the renowned personalities to discuss the latest developments and innovations in the field of textile and academic sustainability at one common platform. Topics covered: Sustainable traditional textile and fashion Eco-friendly fancy yarns, fabrics and composites Eco friendly advancements in knitting, weaving, nonwoven and carpet manufacturing process Eco friendly advancement in conventional and non-conventional spinning Sustainable textile chemical processing Sustainable textile fibres Sustainable development of textile industries and academics Green dyes and chemicals, herbal dyes, bio processing and waste water treatment Recycling and reusing of textile products About the UP Textile Technology Institute Kanpur UP Textile Technology Institute (UPTTI), Kanpur is century old pioneer institute of northern India in the field of textiles. It offers technical education in various disciplines of textiles at the level of B. Tech, M. Tech & Ph.D. It is an autonomous statutory organization, functioning under administrative control of state government of UP. The Institute has implemented academic autonomy from 2016. Formerly [known as GCTI, the institution has a very good liaison with many industrial and research organizations. Recently, Dr Sarkar also contributed as joint first author in a review paper on “An overview of cotton and polyester, and their blended waste textile valorisation to value-added products: A circular economy approach–research trends, opportunities and challenges”, which is published in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. Besides, he received an internal funding of $125,000 from PolyU for a strategic plan initiative to enhance the student learning experience through the use of interactive pedagogies.

Queenie Cheng shines at 13th Santoni Pioneer Programme

Queenie Cheng, a fresh graduate of the BA (Hons) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles who majored in Knitwear Design and Technology, presented a marvellous collection of bags at the final show of the 13th Santoni Pioneer Programme on 8 July 2021 in Shanghai. Queenie received many insightful feedback and comments from industry members. Organised by Santoni (Shanghai) Knitting Machinery Co., Ltd, the programme featured designs that focus on well-being, sustainable performance as well as fashion technology.  Queenie’s collection, titled "GEOmetry", was inspired by the geometry of a natural marvel - the double-helical structure of DNA. Her collection aims to provide a sustainable option to consumers and inspire new possibilities with circular knitting. The bags are zero-waste and seamless, thanks to the use of seamless circular knitting technology and an origami structure. The fold-lines of the bags are precisely designed and parameters are programmed into Santoni knitting. Then the fabric is knitted onto a fabric tube. Every single inch of the fabric is used – the bag is entirely folded out of the knitted tube of fabric so that an extra piece of fabric does not need to be sewn on for the bottom.Applying the concepts of origami provides a new breakthrough in circular knitting. Queenie’s design thoroughly reflects the seamless characteristics of the Santoni circular knitting machine. About the Santoni Pioneer Programme The Santoni Pioneer Programme is an opportunity for talented designers to work with  advanced Santoni technology to realise their designs. Since 2015, this fully sponsored programme has been offered as a biannual eight week event that features seamless and circular knitting, and thus a platform for highly motivated designers to make connections with industry experts along the supply chain.  To date, there are more than 50 designers who have participated in this programme and they are well respected throughout the textile industry. 

Developing intelligent wearable systems - ITC’s textiles join force with microelectronics

Prof. Xiaoming Tao, Chair Professor of Textile Technology of ITC and Director of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (IWEAR), was invited to give a talk entitled "Microelectronics and Intelligent Wearable Systems” at the Microelectronics Technology Forum – Capturing the Emerging Technologies & Business Opportunities on 5 August 2021. Prof. Tao was also invited to a panel discussion titled "Critical Research Infrastructure" facilitated by Prof. H.S. Philip Wong, Professor of Stanford University and Faculty Co-Director, Stanford SystemX Alliance. Other panellists included, Prof. Hon Ki Tsang, Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Prof. Stella Pang, Head of Department and Chair Professor, City University of Hong Kong Ir. Dr. H. L. Yiu, Head of Re-industralisation, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation Prof. Tim Cheng, Dean of Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Prof. Lance Li, Chair Professor, The University of Hong Kong About the forum Microelectronics is catching the eyes of the whole world as it enriches people’s lives and empowers businesses to run smarter, faster and more efficiently. It is going to create trillions of dollars in business value. To capture the enormous opportunities, a three-day forum was organised by the Semiconductor Nanotechnology Alliance, to gather brilliant minds from top echelon universities, promising tech start-ups, investors, and world-leading corporations to share their views on the latest trends and opportunities in microelectronics.