News

More support for BA students: Final Year Project Mentorship Programme

The Final Year Project (FYP) Mentorship Programme was initiated in 2020, with the aim to establish caring and supportive relationships among ITC alumni, industrialists, and undergraduates. The objectives are: to empower mentees so that they can better address challenges in their research project, to enhance the future professional and career development opportunities of the mentees, to facilitate the educational, social and personal growth of mentees, and to provide mentors and mentees with professional formal and informal networking opportunities. Mentoring relationships are developed which encourage discussion, questions, and feedback in areas that will enhance the capabilities and competencies of the mentees. FYP Mentorship Meetings This year, four ITC alumni are invited to act as mentors, including Miss Nicky Chan (MA, 2017), Miss Sarah Chan (MA, 2000), Mr Dominic Cheng (MA, 2006), and Mr Spike Ngai (MA, 2018). All of them have a wealth of work experience in the fashion industry. The two rounds of the FYP Mentorship Meeting were held on 5 December 2020 and 30 January 2021, with an attendance of 20 final year students from three specialisms; namely technology, retail and marketing, as well as intimate apparel and activewear. All of them provided positive feedback on the FYP Mentorship Programme. Adoption of facial recognition and emotion tracking in FYPs The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has been a major trend in the fashion industry. Our graduating students are fully aware of this trend and keep apace by integrating AI in their FYP by using both their knowledge and creativity. Associate Professor of Fashion Business and BA programme leader, Dr Chris Lo, had this to say about using AI in FYPs: "My students applied facial recognition to track emotions using AI technology. Another student developed an augmented reality (AR) filter for virtual try ons. I think these examples can demonstrate how advanced our programme is and the capability of our students in using today’s latest technological innovations." Similar to the overall programme design which equips our students to address the latest challenges in the fashion industry, the FYP programme encourages students to experiment with the latest digital technology in their study. They are encouraged to go beyond purely academic discussions to adopt technology. For example, fashion business students are experimenting with AI, AR and user experience (UX) design tools and integrate them into their consumer research work. Two students, Edith and Wong Yan, share their experience with FYP.

In loving memory of our beloved Ms Basia Szkutnicka

It is with profound sadness that we share with you the news that our beloved colleague, Ms Basia Szkutnicka, passed away on 13 March 2021. Basia joined ITC as Professor of Practice in Fashion Design in January 2017, and made tremendous contributions to ITC. In particular, she was a wonderful asset to the MA programme in Fashion and Textile Design as the programme leader. A memorial service will be held at 8pm (GMT +8) on 31 March 2021 at the Bistro 1979, Room TH B219, B2/F., Hotel ICON, Hong Kong.  Memorial or floral contribution may be sent after 6.30 pm. People who wish to attend the service in person may register by email at chanel.fok@polyu.edu.hk or phone (+852) 2766 6492, due to number of attendance set by the venue.  Alternatively, they may choose to join the service over zoom with following information: https://polyu.zoom.us/j/2198135056?pwd=MytrNHNPTE5lR29OYnRDOFdwMHBEZz09 Meeting ID: 219 813 5056 Passcode: 27666500 Susie Menkes once described Basia as 'A breath of fresh air' in the International Herald Tribune. Basia specialised in design thinking, idea generation, creative design processes, curriculum development and innovation. She also supported and nurtured young talents. She was a visionary thinker and influencer, well respected in the global fashion community for her ability to move fashion forward by inspiring and motivating students and designers worldwide. Her reputation as an innovator resulted in invitations to jury fashion shows and competitions across the globe. After completing an Art Foundation course at the Camberwell School of Art in London, and upon graduating from the St Martins School of Art in London with First class Honours in Fashion Design in the competitive 80s, Basia proceeded to launch her own brand at London Fashion Week. She worked with her mentor Isabella Blow on avant-garde projects and fashion stylists and editors including Karl Lagerfeld, Michael Roberts, Judy Blame, and Zanna on photographic projects.  Her work was featured in Tatler (British magazine), American Vogue, The Face, The Independent, The Telegraph, The Standard, BLITZ magazine, Nova, i-D, The Daily Mail, YOU Magazine, International Textiles, and MODA. Over the last 25 years, she worked in the roles of programme director, design educator, author, writer, freelance designer and creative consultant. Prior to joining ITC, Basia was Director of the Study Abroad Programme at the London College of Fashion (UAL) where for over 15 years, she created and developed a unique educational model - a beacon of excellence.  Henceforth, her alumni and Fashion faculty network increased in globalisation and prestige. Basia was a collector of European and American vintage clothing, shoes and accessories. Her latest book, Vintage Fashion - A Fashion Sourcebook, published in 2016 and co-written with Jeffrey Mayer, is published in both English and Mandarin Chinese. Her first highly successful book, Technical Drawing for Fashion, (now into its second edition), is translated into 8 languages and has been adopted as a text book in fashion programmes worldwide. Both books are published by Laurence King Publishing and available on Amazon as well as reputable international bookstores, museums and galleries. Basia contributed to fashion magazines and publications, and wrote opinions on fashion culture and style. She was featured and quoted in a number of fashion books and magazines as well as interviewed for video and fashion reportage. She participated in radio and TV interviews, and acted as a commentator on fashion opinion and style. She worked for Camper footwear (Spain) for over 20 years, initially as their Cool Hunter – a concept generator and retail trend reporter who sourced innovative materials. She then collaborated with the brand on constructing and planning unique think tank design and creativity workshops which were held internationally, and most recently in Seoul, South Korea. Excellence was her aim and under her leadership, the MA programme in Fashion & Textiles produced creative, forward thinking design innovators who were encouraged to evolve their personal design identity, disrupt, and bring forth new proposals to the fashion landscape. Basia applied a futuristic and sustainable approach to learning, referencing the past, living in the present, whilst looking to the future. Her daily practice and interaction with creatives, contemporary thinkers, young designers and ambitious students were her research. You are welcome to join us to pay our respects to Basia at the date and time listed above, share the brief of the deceased family and offer them with our comfort and support.  Basia will always be fondly remembered by everyone at ITC.

Nature Materials publishes article by Prof. Zijian Zheng

ITC congratulates Prof. Zijian Zheng, Dr Qiyao Huang, and their colleagues who recently published in Nature Materials, a top-ranking journal in materials science and engineering. The paper highlights the application of a permeable superelastic liquid-metal fibre mat in biocompatible and monolithic stretchable electronics. As we are moving toward a technologically immersive world, electronics that are being worn on different parts of the body and interacting with humans are becoming an emerging trend. These kinds of “wearable” electronics have found promising applications in electronic skin (E-skin), medical and healthcare monitoring, sports tracking, and physiotherapy. However, conventional electronics are rigid, inextensible, flat, and fabricated with impermeable materials, whereas humans are soft, stretchable, and have contours, and therefore highly require a microenvironment that provides sufficient permeability to air, moisture, and liquid. As such, existing solid electronics may impede wear comfort and even create skin inflammation over long-term wear, which may further limit the design form factors of wearable and on-skin electronics. Stretchable electronic circuits printed on permeable superelastic liquid-metal fiber mat. To overcome this challenge, this research work replaces conventional solid and impermeable electronic materials with soft, superplastic, and breathable electronic materials. A new type of stretchable conductor, named a liquid-metal fiber mat (LMFM), is fabricated by simply coating or printing liquid metal onto an electrospun elastomeric fiber mat. In this LMFM, liquid metal hangs among the elastomeric fibres and self-organizes into a mesh-like and buckled structure, which can simultaneously offer high permeability, stretchability, conductivity, and electrical stability. The newly developed LMFM demonstrates smart adaptiveness to omnidirectional stretching over a 1800% strain, and most importantly, good biocompatibility with human skin. The paper also demonstrates that LMFM can be a versatile and user-friendly platform to fabricate monolithic stretchable electronics that provide high integration density, multifunctionality, and long-term wearability. This novel stretchable conductor is expected to find remarkable applications in wearable and on-skin electronics, soft robotics, and bioelectronics. The study was done in collaboration with Dr. Yang Chai of the Department of Applied Physics and Dr. Xin Zhao of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at PolyU.       Ma Z, Huang Q, Xu Q, Zhuang Q, Zhao X, Yang Y, Qiu H, Yang Z, Wang C, Chai Y, Zheng Z.* Permeable superelastic liquid-metal fibre mat enables biocompatible and monolithic stretchable electronics. Nat Mater. 2021 Feb 18. doi: 10.1038/s41563-020-00902-3.

Camper x PolyU MA Fashion

Students on the Master of Arts in Fashion and Textile Design recently embarked on an exciting collaborative design project with the renowned Spanish footwear brand, CAMPER.  At the beginning of this prestigious project, Camper established that a prize would be awarded to the top three winning projects. The overall winner was student Yu Lu, 1st runner Su Xing and finally the 2nd runner up was Xie Weilu. Each of them has received a financial prize, but most importantly their designs will be developed further to become a fully realized products for the brand. The CEO and the Creative Director of Camper were overwhelmed by the standard of work produced by all the students. The success of this project has meant that Camper have agreed to do the collaboration project again for the upcoming academic year.

Video Available NOW Dean's Distinguished Industry Lecture Series | Troubled Times: Opportunities for the Bold & Determined

The second lecture of the Dean’s Distinguished Industry Lecture Series was given on 25 February by ITC and a close associate of PolyU - Dr Henry Tan, BBS, JP, LHD. Dr Tan is Chairman of the Textile Council of Hong Kong; CEO of Luen Thai Group Ltd.; Court Member of PolyU; and former member of the Advisory Committee of ITC. His session entitled, “Troubled Times: Opportunities for the Bold & Determined” provided an overview on where opportunities for the textile and fashion industry can be found during the current unprecedented times. The talk was offered in a hybrid live format. Nearly 120 staff, students and alumni either attended in person in the ITC 4D Theatre, streamed the session on Zoom or watched on the ITC Youtube channel. In his opening introduction, Prof. Jintu Fan remarked, “Today, we are extremely honored and grateful to have Dr Henry Tan with us. As the Chairman of the Textile Council, I would say no one is in a better position to deliver this talk and to help our students and colleagues to broaden their perspectives about the development of the textile and fashion industry, and how we can equip ourselves better for all future eventualities.” While the textile and fashion industry is facing a difficult time due to the pandemic, Dr Tan believes that challenges also represent opportunities. He suggested that Hong Kong has many assets that can help to expand the textile and garment industry, such as its unique cultural and historical background, role as the world’s textile garment supply chain management center, pioneer position in textile and fashion related research, and strong support from the government. Dr Tan emphasised that “This (the textile and fashion industry) is not a sunset industry. When there is novelty, many opportunities can be created. Our commercialization is not the best yet so we should try to do better, and utilize all the new ideas and products that are available.” Dr Tan also pointed out several opportunities available in the expanding market of China and Southeast Asia, including the Belt and Road Initiative, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, and China’s dual circulation economic strategy. Such policies would further connect Hong Kong with the world and generate a wealth of possibilities for Hong Kong to commercialize its innovative research results. Also, as the Chinese government is striving to reach the lower tier cities, Dr Tan also encouraged students not only to look towards the large cities, but also different tier cities when exploring opportunities in the industry, “You are young and can take a lot of risks. You should explore the world, whether it is a developed or emerging economy.” Compared to previous years, the consumption ability of China online has shown palpable growth. During the Spring Festival Golden Week of 2021, the sales of key retail and catering companies across the country reached 821 billion yuan, which is an increase of 28.7% over Spring Festival Golden Week 2020 and 4.9% over Spring Festival Golden Week 2019. Dr Tan proposed that these statistics show that China has recovered from COVID-19 and Hong Kong should take advantage of their growing consumption needs. Apart from retail and catering, there are also other opportunities in the Chinese e-commerce market. In 2019, over 30% of the Chinese GDP was in the digital economy and it is predicted to be over 50% in 2021. E-commerce has proven to be more adaptable than physical stores during the pandemic, and Dr Tan sees a bright future: “The changes in distribution can create opportunity since shopping in a physical store is no longer the only viable option. I also believe that there will soon be cross border e-commerce which will become more and more important in the years to come.” Meanwhile, the establishment of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has also allowed Hong Kong to “connect and trade throughout the region without duty, tariff and custom concerns, so that it is much more efficient and facilitates international e-commerce.” Dr Tan concluded that Hong Kong’s textile and fashion industry can make use of China and ASEAN countries for further advancements. He pointed out that Hong Kong has always had the advantages of researching and developing new materials, yet Hong Kong also needs to develop new business models to help commercialize itself in the global market. He reiterated that the fashion and textile industry “is not a sunset industry…our future is boundless but we just come together to make things work.”

ITC Online Mini-lecture Series 2021

ONLINE REGISTRATION The Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles and the Institute of Textiles and Clothing organized the Mini-lecture series for more than three years. The lectures aim to enrich students' knowledge in creative perspectives and arouse their interest in fashion and textiles. In view of the unpredictable development of the COVID-19 pandemic, the upcoming FAST Mini-Lecture Series will be conducted online on three Saturdays in March 2021.  

Professor Chih-chang Chu appointed as honorary professor

Honorary professorships are usually presented to individuals in recognition of their academic contributions and merits. One very deserving recipient of this title is Professor Chih-chang (C.C.) Chu, who has been appointed as honorary professor at ITC. Professor Chu was the first recipient of the Rebecca Q. Morgan ' 60 Endowed Chair Professor of the Department of Fibre Science and Apparel Design, College of Human Ecology, at Cornell University in the USA. He has made many valuable contributions to teaching and research in the field of biomedical materials and medical devices for repairing the human body. Professor Chu received his PhD in Chemistry from Florida State University in the USA. He was also the recipient of the State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities in 2009. Professor Chu served on the Biology/Medicine Panel of the Hong Kong Research Grant Council from 2009 to 2013, and was a member of the Hong Kong Research Grant Council Collaborative Research Fund Committee in 2014. He also serves on various editorial boards, including for the Open Biomaterials Journal, Open Material Science Journal, Open Macromolecules Journal, Journal of Fiber Bioengineering and Informatics, and Journal of Bioengineering and Biomedical Science since 2008. He has published 219 referred research papers (h-index: 62; citation: 12,200) and three books, and received 80 US and international patents. Professor Chu focuses on the multidisciplinary study of design, synthesis and evaluation of a new novel family of biologic active biodegradable polymers (pseudo-protein biomaterials) that would have very unique biological properties like muted inflammatory response, promoting cell growth, facilitating wound healing and would be nontoxic. He is currently collaborating with the Hong Kong Baptist University to advance the delivery of Chinese medicine via his lab's new pseudo-protein biomaterial nanotechnology for the most challenging type of breast cancer treatment - triple-negative breast cancer.

Professor of Practice Appointments

ITC is pleased to announce two new Professor of Practice appointments, effective 1 January 2021. Mr Anthony Keung, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fenix Group Holdings Limited has been appointed as the Professor of Practice (Fashion Retailing); and Ms Janet Cheung, Vice President of the Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association (HKFDA) has been appointed as the Professor of Practice (Fashion Design): Mr Anthony Keung is a well-known and well-respected business leader, with more than 40 years of experience in knitwear trading and manufacturing as well as fashion retail business. With the continual diversification of his business, Fenix has become one of the major Hong Kong fashion retailers and successfully built up the well-known Italian fashion brand 'Anteprima' as well as established the lifestyle megastore city'super. Mr Keung has also been an ardent supporter of ITC since 2005. He has actively contributed to ITC in various learning activities including travel scholarships, fashion show sponsorships, and internship programmes. He was a member of the PolyU Advisory Committee on Textile and Clothing Industries since 2010, and chaired from 2015 to 2017. Besides, Mr Keung is also actively involved in a number of trade organizations and public services in Hong Kong including the Hong Kong Knitwear Designers Association (KIDS), Trade Development Council (TDC) and Vocation Training Council (VTC). Ms Janet Cheung pursued her studies in fashion design and garment techniques at the renowned ESMOD (l'Ecole Supérieure des Arts et techniques de la Mode) fashion school in Paris. After graduation, she began her career as a fashion designer in London, where she stayed for five years, and gained invaluable experience working for UK fashion wholesalers and manufacturers. Afterwards, Ms Cheung returned to Hong Kong where she continued her fashion design career, working for several leading international and overseas garment wholesale and buying offices. Ms Cheung has contributed to ITC for over 15 years. She has been appointed as a member of the PolyU Advisory Committee on Textile and Clothing Industries since 2003. Besides, she has served as an external examiner for ITC academic programmes. Ms Cheung was also a full time Senior Lecturer for fashion design in the School of Design of The Hong Kong Polytechnic for six years, followed by three years of part-time teaching, which is a total of nine years of fashion design academic work.  In 1989, Ms Cheung started her own fashion design and creative consultancy services which provide fashion and uniform design related services to local and overseas corporates and organizations. Apart from acting as a director for the Hong Kong Design Centre, Ms Cheung is also a board member and advisory member of many other education institutions such as the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI), Institute Vocational Education (IVE), Clothing Industry Training Authority (CITA), Caritas Bianchi College of Careers, other trade organizations including the TDC, AGF, etc. From time to time, Ms Cheung receives invitations to sit on assessment and vetting committees of various government-funded well known programmes and design competitions in Hong Kong and China.

Videos Available NOW PolyU Info Day for Taught Postgraduate Programme | Online Info Seminars (9 Jan)

Master of Arts in Fashion and Textiles   Master of Arts in Fashion and Textile Design  

Striving beyond the impossible: Success Story of Gao Qingzi (BA 2018)

ITC alumna Gao Qingzi (BA 2018) is originally from Hubei, China. She ventured to New York City in the USA for postgraduate studies at the Parsons School of Design. Qingzi recently graduated and is now planning to work on her own brand in New York City. Studying at ITC Qingzi has always dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. Among all of the fashion institutes around the world, she chose Hong Kong because as an international city, it is the best place to study. “ITC is the best fashion education institution. They have great resources and different platforms that enable young designers to grow their skills,” says Qingzi. Qingzi also praises ITC for its well-rounded curriculum, which helps students to enhance their interpersonal and critical thinking skills through different channels such as internships, service learning, and exchange programmes. Apart from that, Qingzi has learnt many essential techniques in her lessons that contribute to knowledge required in the field of fashion design and textiles. These include for example, pattern making, sewing techniques, illustration skills, as well as design philosophy and concept development. Qingzi notes: "The ITC professors have provided me with a strong fundamental knowledge of the fashion industry." Unforgettable moments at ITC When asked about her most unforgettable moments at ITC, Qingzi recalled many events that are still vivid in her mind. For example, when she won the Hong Kong Best Award at the Ecochic Design Competition, tutorials with her thesis supervisor, Ms Basia Szkutnicka, and many more. However, one particular event stands out among the rest. “But the most unforgettable one is the graduation show at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.” says Qingzi. It was the first time that Qingzi presented her collection on a runway. This is the most precious and significant moment for each design student. From the beginning of the concept stage and learning the skills to the garment making process and ultimately the completion of a full design collection, the project was a long and difficult journey. Nevertheless, the hard work paid off as “Through the graduation fashion show, I was able to materialize my design concept into a real garment and present it to the audience.” It was definitely a 'dream come true' for Qingzi. “Continuously challenging myself and learning can improve my design work or myself as a person towards bigger and better things” The Parsons School of Design is one of the world’s most renowned design schools which boasts talented fashion students from different countries. However, Qingzi did not attend Parsons because it is a well known institute but because "I believe I can explore more of my personal identity in a new environment, and New York City would be an excellent platform  to showcase my design work and talent." Aspirations of Qingzi in design and future plans For Qingzi, fashion gives her the means to express her thoughts, “I love to tell my own stories through my designs or my observations about my surroundings.” Not only does she express herself through the design pieces, but Qingzi also strives to incorporate aesthetics and invoke meaningful discussion through her work. Her latest work at Parsons aims to redefine what ‘Made in China’ means in fashion.  To obtain a more hands-on experience in the industry, Qingzi plans to work as an intern in the coming year before starting her own brand with her friends. Advice for students who wish to pursue overseas studies Qingzi is adamant that if others would like to pursue studies abroad, “Early preparation is the key.” Qingzi completed her Bachelor’s degree at PolyU in 2018, and subsequently enrolled in postgraduate studies in the U.S. She did not wait until she finished her studies at PolyU, but started to prepare her portfolio for interviews in Year 3. Qingzi advises ITC junior students that: "If they are committed to embark on a career path of a designer in the future, they need to be well prepared in advance to make sure that they are fully equipped and ready for the journey of studying a Master’s of Fine Arts programme. It is not easy to get into these programmes and complete them, so potential students would undoubtedly need perseverance."