News

National Research Foundation of Korea awards major research grant to ITC collaborative initiative

ITC is very pleased to announce an exciting new collaborative initiative.  The National Research Foundation of Korea, which is one of the most privileged research funding sources in South Korea, has awarded  KRW 240,000,000 (≈HKD 1,550,000) for three years (2020-2023) towards a project proposal entitled “K-lifestyle co-creation of young Vietnamese consumers: Focused on millennials and Z generation”. This project is led by Prof. Ho Jung Choo (PI) and her research team at the Seoul National University (SNU) in collaboration with Dr Eunsoo Baek, Assistant Professor of ITC, Dr Sangwon Park, School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM), and the Hospitality & Tourism Institute (HTI) of the Duy Tan University (DTU). The initiative uses an interdisciplinary approach to integrate shopping/fashion marketing with tourism. This is a pioneering endeavour that establishes a trio relationship among three top universities in Asia.

Innovation and Technology Fund approves $26 million for ITC research projects

The Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF), which is administered by the Innovation and Technology Commission, has approved a total of HK$26M to fund eight ITC led projects in the past six months. The projects are diverse in scope and range from antiviral and durable clothing for healthcare workers to fabric for unidirectional liquid transport, medical pressure clothing, wearable energy fabrics, and antiviral, washable and reusable face masks, just to name a few.  These projects not only demonstrate the strong research capabilities of the ITC staff members but also their commitment to the well-being of the community.  Congratulations to the following successful recipients of the funding. Project Title Project-in-charge Trial: Development of a Low-cost Transplanar and In-plane Water Transport Tester for Fabrics Prof. KAN Chi Wai Developing Antiviral and Durable Clothing for Healthcare Worker in Elderly Home Prof. KAN Chi Wai Design and Development of Textile-based Vascular Prosthesis Dr LIU Rong 3D Printed Antivirus Materials and Application in Public Facilities Dr LO Kwan-yu Chris Nature Inspired Fabric for Unidirectional Liquid Transport Dr SHOU Dahua Key Technologies of Customized Intelligent Medical Pressure Clothing Prof. TAO Xiaoming Technology Development of Wearable Energy Fabrics Dr XU Bingang PUTM30 - Antiviral, Washable and Reusable Face Masks Dr YIP Joanne Yiu Wan

Academia and mass media jointly promote innovative research work of Prof. Jintu Fan and Dr Dahua Shou

Recently, a highly acclaimed research paper titled 'Skin-like' fabric for personal moisture management has been featured in the Hong Kong Economic Times, Sing Tao Daily and Ming Pao newspapers. This paper is co-authored by Prof. Jintu Fan, Head of ITC, and Dr Dahua Shou, Assistant Professor of ITC, and published in the Science Advances journal. The research work discusses a “skin-like” directional liquid transport fabric, which enables one-way liquid flow through spatially distributed channels that act like “sweat glands” yet repel external liquid contaminants. The water transmission rate can be 15 times greater than that of the best commercial breathable fabrics. This exceptional property is achieved by creating gradient wettability channels across a predominantly superhydrophobic substrate. The flow directionality is explained by the Gibbs pinning criterion. The permeability, mechanical property, and abrasion resistance (up to 10,000 cycles) of the fabric are not affected by the treatment. In addition to functional clothing, this concept can be extended to develop materials for oil-water separation, wound dressings, geotechnical engineering and flexible microfluidics applications, and fuel cell membranes. L. Lao, D. Shou, Y. S. Wu and J. T. Fan. “Skin-like” fabric for personal moisture management. Science Advances  03 Apr 2020, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz0013

Knitwear sustainable solutions – Knitwear design students collaborate on project with UPW

UPW, a leading spinner of high quality yarns, initiated a sustainable design project in January 2020 based on the inspiring theme of ‘Find the Beauty in what you have’. The company invited all BA Year 3 students who are majoring in Knitwear Design and Technology to take part in the project and provided them with used fabric swatches as the raw materials to recreate new designs. The students could freely experiment and develop their designs with the UPW swatches and other reused materials, and apply different techniques such as embroidery, crocheting and felting. The project allowed the UPW and our students to collaborate on a very meaningful project, which not only highlighted sustainability in fashion, but also encouraged our students to start thinking about the design process in different ways. On 17 June 2020, ten students presented their design concepts and prototypes at the UPW head office. Their work is innovative and interesting, and a variety of products that were made from the UPW swatches and recycled materials were shown to Ms Grace Lant, Designer of UPW. Ms Lant commented that the products are creative and exciting. She hopes that fashion sustainability would continue to be an integral part of future designs. After the presentation, UPW chose Tina Ngan and Leung Hiu-man as the winners for the best design, and will sponsor the yarn for their final collections next year. The UPW yarn collection comprises woollen-spun, semi-worsted and fancy twisted yarns, all dyed and spun at their own facilities in Dongguan, China. They produce design-led luxury yarn collections with amazing colours, and supply the most respected brands and retailers worldwide with exceptional yarns. In recent years, UPW has made a corporate commitment  to environmental protection and sustainability in the production process and to source natural fibres. The UPW is a member of the Better Cotton Initiative.

EcoMat organises two webinars on solar cells

Prof. Zijian Zheng, Professor of ITC, is the editor-in chief of EcoMat, a journal co-published by PolyU and Wiley. The aim of EcoMat is to publish on a wide variety of topics from different disciplines that share a focus on cutting-edge advanced materials for green energy and the environment. In May and June 2020, EcoMat organized two webinars on solar cells. The first webinar, “EcoMat Perovskite Solar Cells Webinar”, was held on 20 May which featured the following speakers and topics: Prof. Sang Il Seok of the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology: “The impact of A-site cationic management in ‘APb13’ perovskite solar cells” Prof. Hongwei Han of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology: “Highly stable printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells” Prof. Feng Yan of PolyU: “Strategies for achieving high-performance Sn-based perovskite solar cells” The second webinar, “EcoMat Organic Solar Cells Webinar”, was held on 17 June and featured the following speakers and topics: Prof. Feng Gao of Linköping University : “Voltage losses in organic solar cells” Prof. He Yan of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology: “How to make efficient non-fullerene organic solar cells – material design, device optimization and operation mechanism” Prof. Yingping Zou of Central South University: “A-DA’D-A type (or Y-series) acceptor based organic solar cells”

ITC offering two new Cluster Area Requirements (CAR) subjects

Cluster Area Requirements (CAR) subjects are designed to expand the intellectual capacity of PolyU students beyond that of their disciplinary domain. To do so, they can pursue a broader range of academic subjects that use different paradigms, theoretical perspectives and methods of enquiry. After completion, students are more prepared to address professional and global issues with a multidisciplinary perspective. Starting in 2021/22, ITC will offer two new CAR subjects: "Fashion and Beauty" and "Smart Wearables and Smart Living". All PolyU students are welcome to enroll until the maximum intake quota of 160 students in total is reached. "Fashion and Beauty" falls under the cluster area of "Human Nature, Relations and Development". Students will develop a critical understanding of the role of fashion styling and beauty communication from sociological and psychological perspectives, and their cultural representations. Lectures, mass media analyses, group discussions and hands-on practical sessions will equip students with fashion etiquette knowledge, body modification skills to present a professional image, and attire management for different societal occasions. The subject leader, Dr Jin Lam shares her thoughts about “Fashion and Beauty”, "The intention of launching this new subject is to provide an additional choice of CAR subjects for PolyU’s undergraduates by offering an introduction on scholarly analyses and critical explorations of the role of fashion styling and beauty communication from a multidisciplinary perspective which incorporates sociology, psychology and cultural representations." This subject expands the holistic worldview, professional image and social communication skills of students by imparting a critical understanding of fashion styling, professional attire management and social etiquette in them, with the aim to provide them with the resources to become real-life communication professionals. Throughout this subject, students will have the opportunity to enhance their self-reflective awareness and develop their social identity to promote professional advancement and employment on a life-long basis. The second new CAR subject is "Smart Wearable and Smart Living", which falls under the cluster area of "Science, Technology and Environment". Smart wearable systems have high levels of intelligence, with many new functions that serve to enhance our everyday life. They can effectively see, feel, listen, talk, learn new things, memorize information, repair themselves, change their colour, shape or pattern, communicate with others via electronic media, mobile phones and the Internet, lift weight and even provide their own power. Foreseeable applications in smart living include but are not limited to healthcare, the Internet of things, smart cities, robotics, sports, fashion, housing, and protection of environment and animals. They will enhance the quality of life of human beings, help to monitor and protect the natural environment and animals, and contribute to the communication, safety and security of society. This new CAR subject aims to provide an introduction on smart wearable technology, which is an emerging multi-disciplinary field. "Smart Wearable and Smart Living" covers foundation knowledge on flexible functional materials, technologies and products as well as key applications in the arts, communication field, healthcare, sports, and well-being and protection efforts of the natural environment. The subject is designed to enable students to identify the features and requirements of smart wearable systems for smart living. The subject also provides an opportunity for students to apply the knowledge and skills obtained through enrollment in this subject to critically analyze the latest developments and explore futuristic wearables in laboratory-based projects. The subject lecturer, Prof. Xiaoming Tao, said, "The subject introduces innovative concepts, functional materials, interactive devices, fabrication and integration technologies, and current and emergent smart wearable systems and their applications. Emphasis will be placed upon innovative explorations of futuristic scenarios for the design, development and application of smart wearables and smart living." 

Staff retirement announcement

After many years of dedicated service, the following staff members retired in 2019 and 2020: Dr Frankie Ng, Ms Gloria Wong, Mr Jackie Leung, Ms Sun Mow-nin, Mr Tam Wing-kwong, Mr Wong Wang-wah and Mr Ng Yui-fat. ITC wishes them all the best and thank them for their service.  Dr Frankie Ng retired in October 2019 after serving PolyU for 29 years. He was Associate Professor in fashion and textiles design and taught the following specialties: fashion and textile design, design management, design strategy, OBM and OSM, practice-led PhD, research in design, etc. His research focus included using technologies for innovative ends, e.g., full-colour digital Jacquard textiles, seamless woven fashion, interactive fashion creations, innovative lace with foam polymers, seamless self-grown fashion, design theories and semiotics, etc. Dr Ng published over 200 papers in peer-reviewed academic and trade journals, and international conference proceedings, held some 40 design exhibitions and shows, and won many design and research awards. He had also held various positions in the design industry and is a member of various professional associations. Ms Gloria Wong retired in June 2019 and was Senior Teaching Fellow in fashion and textiles design. Her areas of specialization included fashion design, innovative textile design, fiber art, fashion history and trends, cultural and sustainability issues, postmodernism, deconstructivism and globalization. Mr Jackie Leung retired in October 2019, after serving ITC for 32 years. He was promoted to Instructor in 1992 and specialized in flat pattern construction, garment manufacturing, CAD in pattern design, and clothing production management. Ms Sun Mow-nin and Mr Tam Wing-kwong were Scientific Officers and retired in January 2020 and April 2020 respectively. Mr Ng Yui-fat and Mr Wong Wang-wah were technicians in the knitting and weaving laboratories respectively. Mr Ng retired in November 2019 whereas Mr Wong retired in January 2020.

Online prejudging of PolyU Fashion Show 2020

 Every year, ITC organizes a graduate fashion show to showcase the talent and creativity of our graduating class of design students and provide them with a rewarding and fulfilling experience. This year, 61 students presented their collection to a pre-judging panel. In the spirit of adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic, ITC offered prejudging of the collections through an online voting platform, instead of an in-person exhibition, so that the judges could select the finalists for the fashion show in a safe and healthy environment. The Institute of Textiles and Clothing Students' Society (ITCSS) members generously provided their time to upload the design boards, videos and styling photos of the student collections onto the online platform which allowed the judges to review, comment, and cast their votes based on the selection criteria of degree of creativity, level of design skills, ability to problem solve, balancing commercial appeal with artistry, and level of professional competency. A total of 11 internal design staff and 14 external designers/industry leaders made up the judging panel. They completed the online prejudging task between 14-16 June 2020. The judges had only positive comments about the work of the graduating students and the user-friendliness of the online voting system. The following 17 finalists have been selected to showcase their work on the runway of the PolyU Fashion Show 2020. Name* Title of Collection Category CHAN Ho Lam The Seeker Journey Knitwear CHAN Lok Yin Spirited Ritual Womenswear CHU Chun Yee The Fire of Creation Knitwear LAI Hoi Lee Mileage Womenswear LAM Ching Hei, Charmaine One of a Kind Knitwear LAM Ka Man Sire Womenswear LEUNG Hoi Ting Extreme Storage Knitwear LI Ka Kei Party In The City Womenswear LIU Hoi Tung Falling Slowly Womenswear LUK Jo " p o r t r a i t " Menswear LUK Tsz Ting To Infinity and Beyond Menswear/Unisex MAK Cheuk Hei Chinese Maximalism - Left Behind Children Womenswear NG Wing Yan RATHER BE Womenswear SIAU Tsz Leong, Jimmy I, HUMANIMAL' Knitwear TAI Wai Tung Omni-things Menswear/Unisex TSE Yun Ting Alex DEVOID Womenswear YU Cheuk Lam, Topsy MORNING MOON Womenswear * In alphabetical order of last name   Special thanks to the judges and sponsors of the PolyU Fashion Show 2020. Gold Sponsors: Esquel Group Fenix Group Holdings Limited GU Hong Kong Apparel Limited Silver Sponsors: KERSON TEXTILES LIMITED Tove & Libra Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association The Mills Fabrica

Quick response research to COVID-19 – Development of face mask

The COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak which started in January 2020 and ultimately designated a pandemic status has led to an unprecedented global demand for disposable face masks.  The demand is based on the belief that wearing a face mask can protect the wearer from infection of the coronavirus, which has resulted in a chronic shortage of supply in markets worldwide, but especially in Hong Kong.  In order to provide an alternative to disposable face masks, an ad-hoc project on developing an effective antiviral, washable and reusable face mask is led by ITC with the following team members: Chi-wai KAN, Professor of ITC, Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles (FAST) Joanne YIP, Associate Professor of ITC, FAST Chris LO, Associate Professor of ITC, FAST Joseph Ka-fu YUNG, Associate Professor of Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (ABCT), FAST Amber Jia-chi CHIOU, Assistant Professor of ABCT, FAST Hai GUO, Professor of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), Faculty of Construction and Environment Simon Ching LAM, School of Nursing (SN), Faculty of Health and Social Sciences   1. Development of Face Mask The project team proposed the fabrication of a 3-layer face mask with good filtration efficiency and antimicrobial capability, which they called PU30TM. The outer layer is cotton fabric with good antimicrobial capability and water repellency. The middle layer is non-woven fabric with good filtration efficiency. The inside layer is cotton fabric with good softness and water absorption ability.  The ITC team (Prof. KAN, Dr. YIP and Dr. LO) used different textiles to develop PU30TM. They examined the use of an antimicrobial coating technology to construct the outer layer of the face mask, which would impart an antimicrobial effect.  The ABCT team (Dr. YUNG and Dr. CHIOU) evaluated the antimicrobial effect of PU30TM and examined its durability.  The CEE and SN team (Prof. GUO and Dr. LAM) evaluated the filtration efficiency of the non-woven fabric to determine the best material for the middle layer that would meet international standards.  The properties and efficiencies of the face mask materials are listed in Table 1.      Table 1. Face mask properties Property Result Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE%; ASTM F2100 9.1/ASTM F2101) >95% Particulate Filtration Efficiency (PFE% ; ASTM F2100 9.3/ASTM F2299) >95% Viral Filtration Efficiency (VFE%; ASTM F2101)  >95% Resistance to Penetration by Synthetic Blood (ASTM F2100 9.4/ASTM F1862) No penetration Flammability (ASTM F2100 9.5/16 CFR PART 1610) Class 1 Antibacterial effect (AATCC 100) -Staphylococcus aureus >99.9% inhibition Antibacterial effect (AATCC 100) -Klebsiella pneumoniae >99.9% inhibition Water repellency (AATCC 22) Completely dry Notes: The antiviral properties of the outer layer of fabric to H1N1 and COVID-19 are tested in a local university with an in-house testing method. Inhibition of virus growth: >90%. 2. Know-how Generated – PU30TM The research work on developing PU30TM has resulted in five patents filed in the US, China and Hong Kong to protect this intellectual property.  A trademark for the name of the mask, PU30TM, has also been filed in China and Hong Kong. An image of the mask is shown in Photo 1. 3. Social Impacts After the development of PU30TM in February 2020, a production process was implemented in March and April 2020 in Hong Kong to produce a certain number of face masks which would be distributed to the needy.  The pilot activities were conducted from March to June 2020 as follows. Social Service Centres under the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited recruited sewing workers who were unemployed due to COVID-19. They produced more than 2900 children’s face masks. ITC provided Work-Integrated-Education (WIE) opportunities to more than 33 undergraduate students in various fashion disciplines (i.e., technology, intimate apparel and activewear, fashion design, etc.) who applied their knowledge and skills to make, package and distribute PU30TM (see Photo 2). The tasks also allowed the students to apply their knowledge and skills to a real world context. In May 2020, a batch of PU30TM was distributed to the FAST staff and PolyU community for a trial wear. In June 2020, more than 20,000 PU30TM for adults and children were donated to the needy and distributed through the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited (Photo 3).  In the spirit of caring and love, about 1000 PU30TM were specifically donated to the students and staff of the Sheng Kung Hui Holy Spirit Primary School on 19 June 2020. 4. Research Impact - from Face Mask to Other Personal Protective Equipment Research Work The ad-hoc research process which was carried out to address the COVID-19 outbreak allowed the team members to acquire new knowledge not only in face masks but also in personal protective equipment.  The ITC team members further obtained funding support from the Public Sector Trial Scheme for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19 in Hong Kong (PSTS-COVID-19) administered by the Innovation and Technology Fund, HKSAR Government as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-investigator (Co-I) for various studies and in different areas to advance personal protective equipment in a variety of application areas. The details of the funded projects are as follows. Developing Antiviral and Durable Clothing for Healthcare Workers in Elderly Homes by Prof. Chi-wai KAN as PI - 1000 antiviral and durable garments will be provided to healthcare workers in elderly homes Developing Healthcare Clothing with Antiviral and Antibacterial Capabilities by Prof. Chi-wai KAN as PI - 2000 healthcare worker garments with antiviral and antibacterial capabilities will be provided to healthcare workers who are working in hospitals under the Hospital Authority PU30TM – Antiviral, Washable and Reusable Face Mask by Dr. Joanne Yiu-wan YIP as PI - 40,000 antiviral, washable and reusable face masks will be provided to the needy through the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited 3D Printed Antivirus Materials and Application in Public Facilities by Dr Chris LO as PI - Provides 3D printed handles with long lasting antimicrobial capability that will be installed on used-clothing recycling boxes around Hong Kong, and anticipated to be used by at least 20,000 individuals each month. This is a collaborative effort with the Home Affairs Department and Friends of the Earth (HK) and  provides customized 3D printed covers for exhibitions / handles / lift buttons with long lasting antimicrobial capability at the Hong Kong Wetland Park, where over 90,000 local and international visitors will be protected. In addition, the project team has participated in the 國家重點研發計劃項目 administered by 中華人民共和國科學技術部 Project title: 輸入性疫情防控方案及裝備研製 - 安全防護用具(抗病毒口罩，防護服) 研究重點:側重研究抗病毒塗層技術應用於防護用具,從而使其具有抗病毒效果,同時不影響其透氣性及其他表面性狀。 Project team awards FAST Faculty Award 2019/2020 – Team Award in Research and Scholarly Activities

REFORMING FASHION – Online Student Fashion Show

ITC is launching our very first online student fashion show on the ITC Facebook Fan Page, Instagram and Linkedin to curate the amazing works of our graduating students online . The fashion show features three categories: “Intimate Design”, “Fashion Design” and “Knitwear Design”. We will first show the design works of the 12 finalists of the PolyU Intimate Fashion Show 2020 who are majoring in Intimate Apparel and Activewear from 27 June to 8 July. This will be followed by the design works of the 17 finalists of the PolyU Fashion Show 2020. Last but not least, the works of students in the Knitwear Design and Technology specialism will be showcased.