Sept 2025 Entry
4 years (including 1 year with common curriculum)
120
- Students will be awarded one of the following degrees upon successful completion of the programme’s graduation requirements.
- BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Design)
- BA (Hons) in Fashion (Knitwear Design)
- BA (Hons) in Fashion (Contour Fashion and Activewear)
- BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Business)
- BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Innovation and Technology)
- Students select a specialism at the end of their Year One. Admission to a specialism is subject to assessment criteria including students’ preferences, GPA, and interview performance.
- Students opting not to be streamed into any specialism will obtain a BA (Hons) in Fashion.
- Students may also enrol in a Secondary Major in AI and Data Analytics (AIDA) or in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE). Admission to the Secondary Major is on a competitive basis and these programmes have different credit requirements for graduation. Please see the Secondary Major Details section for more information.
- Students opting for a Secondary Major will not be streamed into a specialism.
- The credit requirements are subject to review.
Entry Scholarship and Additional Scholarships
- To recognise the outstanding academic performance of local and non-local students, the School will grant entry scholarships to eligible students admitted to the scheme via non-JUPAS. Apart from the entry scholarships, additional scholarships may include. Please refer to the information sheet for details.
What's New
Programme Aims
The overall aim of the programme is to train competent professionals for the fashion business, equipping them to work in textiles, apparel, retailing, design, and related organisations. Graduates play an active role in the development of the global fashion and textiles industry in local and overseas markets. In addition to cultivating students’ professional competencies, the programme enhances their other essential competencies, such as entrepreneurship, social media marketing and business analytics. This programme expands graduates’ skillsets to meet the needs of today’s business environment. They excel in leadership, teamwork, healthy lifestyle practices and lifelong learning; they become trend leaders, innovators, critical thinkers, and creative problem solvers; and they possess effective communication and interpersonal skills. They are biliterate and trilingual, and they serve as informed and ethical leaders who promote social and national responsibility, engage in local and international affairs, act as responsible global citizens and exhibit cultural and aesthetic appreciation with a global perspective.
Characteristics
Based on their desired careers and academic performance, students can choose one of the following five specialisms under the BA Scheme.
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Fashion Design
This specialism aims to nurture students’ creativity and design ability to develop their awareness of current and emerging technologies in the fashion and manufacturing environment and to enhance their understanding of relevant marketing and business practices.
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Knitwear Design
This specialism, similar to the Fashion Design specialism, aims to nurture students’ creativity and design ability. In addition to general education, students also attain the essential knowledge and skills of a knitwear designer.
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Contour Fashion and Activewear
This specialism aims to provide students with the necessary academic and practical knowledge of contour fashion and activewear, including the integration of design and technology aspects. It provides students with a supportive and inspiring learning environment in which to create imaginative designs using analytical and problem-solving abilities. It also encourages students’ independent judgement and critical thinking for the new development of contour fashion and activewear. Students are guided to attain first-hand experience of the latest technologies, modern materials and industrial practice.
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Fashion Business
This specialism equips students for the global fashion business. Students learn fundamental management and business principles, contemporary environmental and social practices and operational knowledge of global fashion marketing and digital channels. In particular, this specialism will develop students’ skills in defining, analysing and solving business problems in fashion retail and marketing, from fast to luxury fashion, and from fashion accessories to lifestyle products. Emphasis is placed on the aspects of fashion sourcing, buying, market research, branding, digital marketing, omni-channel distribution, social media analytics, store management and distribution of fashion products in both local and global contexts. This specialism ensures that students attain the necessary professional skills to initiate and carry out individual and team research projects. Students also acquire managerial, analytical and problem-solving skills for business from local and overseas internship opportunities.
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Fashion Innovation and Technology
This specialism nurtures graduates who have sound knowledge of fashion products and production processes, who are able to apply their knowledge within a technical, economic, managerial and commercial contexts, who are flexible and can adapt and respond to change and who have the potential to become industrial leaders in product development, process innovation and production management in textiles and apparel in local and global markets.
Students opting not to be streamed into any specialism will be given a BA (Hons) in Fashion. The curriculum of BA (Hons) in Fashion provides a flexible choice of subjects that will increase students’ adaptability to the changing needs of the fashion industry. It aims to provide students with a critical understanding of contemporary practices in the digitalisation, design and development of fashion products, trends in the global and local fashion markets and business and retail environments critical to the fashion system, as well as the emerging technologies, innovations and manufacturing environment in the fashion industry.
There are also opportunities to gain on-the-job knowledge and experience in the workplace through placements in the industry.
The decision to admit a student to a specialism will be made by the School based on the student’s preference, overall GPA in Year One and/or interview results. Students will be asked to rank their specialism choices by preference during Semester 2 of Year One for the School's consideration and approval.
Professional Recognition
Graduates with 2 years of relevant post-qualification experience can apply for an Associateship of the Textile Institute (ATI) in the UK.
Graduates with 1 year of relevant post-qualification experience can apply for Professional Membership of the Hong Kong Institution of Textile and Apparel (MHKITA) in HK. MHKITA members are eligible to apply for membership in the China Textile Engineering Society and for Textile Engineer status from the Guangdong Textile Engineering Society.
Career Prospects
Our scheme-based education approach nurtures all-round talents with the design, technology and business knowledge needed for a wide range of career paths in the fashion industry. Graduates have career opportunities in the fashion and textiles industries and related fields, including the following.
Graduates of the BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Design) can pursue careers in the fashion and lifestyle industry as womenswear/menswear designers, technical designers, digital designers, illustrators, stylists, editors and trend forecasters.
Graduates of the BA (Hons) in Fashion (Knitwear Design) can seek careers as fashion knitwear designers, digital knitting technologists, product developers, illustrators, stylists, editors and trend forecasters.
Graduates of the BA (Hons) in Fashion (Contour Fashion and Activewear) have the abilities needed to work as designers or technical designers in the development of various kinds of products, such as contour fashion, intimate apparel, functional garments, swimwear, sportswear, activewear, lace and embroidery and fashion accessories. In recent years, many Hong Kong manufacturers have maintained their competitiveness and maximised their profit margins by switching from being low-cost original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to being high value-added original design manufacturers (ODMs) or even original brand manufacturers (OBMs). This has led to substantial demand for professionals capable of designing and developing new products.
Graduates of the BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Business) can develop careers in digital retailing and marketing, sustainability and compliance, brand development, international trade in fashion and textiles, visual merchandising and luxury fashion management. Our graduates are equipped with all of the necessary skills to generate both online and offline business for the fashion industry and beyond.
Graduates of the BA (Hons) in Fashion (Fashion Innovation and Technology) can pursue careers in fashion and textile enterprises/companies or innovation institutions/centres as fashion/textile product designers and developers, R&D managers, fashion merchandisers, fashion house or production managers, fashion/textile techno consultants, quality control/functional evaluation experts, customer service professionals and fashion/textile product researchers and innovators.
All normal-year students start the programme with two common semesters, which provide a foundation in the major activities of the fashion and textiles industries. After these common semesters, students are streamed into one of the five specialisms according to their individual preferences. In principle, all students are offered a free choice of specialism. In the unlikely event that a specialism is over-subscribed, a contingency procedure is followed. As each specialism has a threshold number of students, determined by the teaching resources of the School, the contingency procedure is applied when this threshold is reached. Therefore, students are required to supply a list of specialisms in order of preference. Specialism selection normally occurs in the second semester of the students’ first year of study. Students will be invited for a selection interview/assessment based on their choice of specialisms. The pool of students in the over-subscribed specialism will be ranked according to their academic performance in their first semester of study and their interview/assessment performance. Students with lower rankings will have a lower priority in admittance to their preferred specialism. In each semester after admission to a specialism, compulsory core subjects pertaining to the specialism are offered in addition to a wide range of elective subjects that enrich the students’ learning experience. Furthermore, students will undertake mandatory language subjects, general education subjects and work-integrated education in fulfilment of the General University Requirements.
Each student is required to earn at least 120 credits for graduation. In addition to 30 credits of General University Requirements (GUR), students are required to complete 90 credits of Discipline-Specific Requirements, which include elective subjects and the Final Year Project.
The options of a Secondary Major in AI and Data Analytics (AIDA) or in Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE) are available to the students enrolled in the BA (Hons) Scheme in Fashion.
Selection Criteria
A Secondary Major is not mandatory. Only students with a Cumulative GPA of 2.70 or above may be considered for Secondary Major enrolment. Each Secondary Major may stipulate additional selection criteria for admission. To be admitted to a Secondary Major, students must apply to and obtain approval from the relevant department no later than the commencement of the second year of study.
Credit Requirement
Students in the BA (Hons) Scheme in Fashion with a Secondary Major of AI and Data Analytics (AIDA) or Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE) are required to complete 133 and 138 credits, respectively, for graduation:
| Credit Requirements | Fashion | Fashion + IE | Fashion + AIDA | |
| General University Requirement (GUR) | 30 | 30 | 30 | |
| Major | Core | 81/78/66 | 66 | 61 |
| Elective | 9/12/24 | 6 | 6 | |
| Secondary Major | Core | - | 21 | 30 |
| Elective | - | 9 | 6 | |
| Discipline-specific Elective | - | 6 | - | |
| Total | 120 | 138 | 133* | |
* The Integrated Capstone Project is a double-counting subject (6 credits) for AIDA.
Professional Accreditation
Graduates with 2 years of relevant post-qualification experience can apply for an Associateship of the Textile Institute (ATI), UK. Graduates with 1 year of relevant post-qualification experience can apply for Professional Membership of the Hong Kong Institution of Textile and Apparel (MHKITA) in HK. MHKITA members are eligible to apply for membership in the China Textile Engineering Society and for Textile Engineer status from the Guangdong Textile Engineering Society.
120
Scheme Director
Dr Carrie Wong
PhD, BA (Hons)
Please click here to view the entrance requirements for non-JUPAS applicants.
Other Information
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Applicants attaining good results in EITHER art subjects (Textile, Visual Arts, and/or Design) OR science subjects (Chemistry and/or Mathematics) OR business OR commerce related subjects are all preferred.
For further programme information, please contact:
The General Office (tel.: 2766 6500; email: sft.ug@polyu.edu.hk).
As a SFT student, I have been encouraged to reach new heights by mastering practical skills for constructing garments and developing my own style. By overcoming the challenges through practicing and learning, I have been able to improve and nurture important abilities like pattern-making as well as conducting research on trends. SFT has given me a wonderful environment for expanding my scope of knowledge. The courses enable me to understand the use of different materials and colours with the means to combine them together for spectacular effects. Taking part in an internship also taught me about the cycle of fashion like sourcing and vending. All in all, SFT has really given me the opportunity to explore the fashion world.
SFT provides transformative and enriching experiences that have nurtured our growth in our quest to become professional designers. Its creative and collaborative environment has given me a sense of belonging and has provided all of us with a space to explore our ideas and works. The advice and encouragement from my teachers and other students have been crucial in developing my knowledge and skills in drawing, pattern-making and sewing. The advanced equipment provided by the School has also enhanced our learning experience, and I believe it has helped us build a strong foundation of skills.
I am grateful that our School has provided us with opportunities for practical engagement. This has encouraged us to participate in different fashion-related projects, internships and exchange programmes. Through these experiences, we have been able to put our abilities to use in practical situations. I have also been able to obtain insightful knowledge about the workings of the fashion industry.
SFT offers an all-round curriculum that seamlessly blends theoretical knowledge with hands-on practical experience. At SFT, I can experiment with different 3D printing technologies; virtual prototyping, such as CLO 3D; and advanced textile manufacturing techniques, all of which push the boundaries of what is possible in fashion design. Fashion has always been a powerful form of self-expression and a way to drive positive change in the world. From trend analysis to marketing strategies and product manufacturing, I have gained a comprehensive understanding of the industry’s inner workings and developed the skills necessary to bring my visions to life.
SFT also provides young designers with invaluable opportunities and industry experience to expand their professional horizons, and it promotes the development of fashion in Hong Kong through a vast network of industry partnerships and collaborations. If you are passionate about fashion, come join this world-class hub of innovation!
As a Technology student, I have greatly appreciated the opportunity to supplement my lecture-based coursework with extensive hands-on laboratory classes. Unlike traditional lectures, the SFT curriculum places a strong emphasis on providing students like me with opportunities to transfer theoretical knowledge into practical applications.
For example, I was able to use specialised equipment, such as the projectile weaving machine. Such lab experiences have allowed me to become familiar with the intricacies of textile production technologies and to develop skills that are invaluable for my future career in the fashion industry. From knits to wovens, I’ve gained a nuanced appreciation for the unique characteristics and applications of each type of fabric. This holistic knowledge enables me to make more informed and innovative design decisions as I continue my studies.
Studying at SFT has significantly broadened my fashion knowledge. This programme has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of the industry, from the intricate processes of fabric and yarn production to the challenges of navigating the end-user market. I have gained in-depth knowledge of the operational aspects of the fashion industry through my specialist modules, including supply chain management, brand management, digital marketing, customer behaviour, and more. These insights have further empowered me to confidently pursue a career in this dynamic field.
During the second semester of my third year, I had the unprecedented opportunity to study abroad at the University of Southampton in the UK. Supported by a PolyU subsidy and my Reaching Out Award, this experience allowed me to explore the global landscape and connect with my peers from different backgrounds, which significantly expanded my cultural awareness. This summer, I received an internship offer from Inditex to work within Zara’s Area Team. This invaluable experience has given me the opportunity to learn first-hand about visual merchandising and to apply the theories I studied before I became an intern.
- To understand the suitability of applicants for the BA(Hons) Scheme in Fashion at the degree level.
- To ascertain whether the applicants' expectations of the programme/career path match what we aim to provide.
- To evaluate the applicants' language, communication and interpersonal skills.
About 15- 45 minutes
All bands of applicants are considered, with preference for Band A and B applicants. Admission to the programme is primarily based on academic merit. The programme will directly offer a place to those candidates with outstanding performance in HKDSE, waiving the interview requirement.
Detailed interview/assessment arrangements will be announced to JUPAS applicants via email one week before the dates of the group interviews/individual assessments. Applicants with good interview/assessment performance will be given bonus scores to increase their chances of being admitted to the programme.
All students who are admitted with HKDSE results start the programme with two common semesters of foundational training in fashion and textiles, after which they are streamed into one of the five specialisms (except for students with a Secondary Major).
Important dates:
Mid-/end of January – Admission schedule/details announced via email to all Band A candidates
Mid-June – Admission schedule/details announced via email to selected candidates
Mid-July – HKDSE results announced
Mid-/end of July – Final interviews/assessments for selected candidates
Required
Any other additional information/document(s) to support the application (optional)
To assess the suitability of candidates for the programme.
About 15 to 30 minutes for the interview
The admission interview is for the BA Scheme, not individual specialism. All students will start the programme with 2 common semesters. Students without a Secondary Major, after the 2 common semesters, will be streamed to one of the five specialisms according to students' individual preference, overall GPA in Year One and/ or interview results. Students will be asked to rank their specialism choices (from the most preferred to the least preferred) during Semester 2 of Year One for the School's consideration and approval. Students opting not to be streamed into any specialism will be given a BA (Hons) in Fashion.
Required
To assess the suitability of candidates for the programme
The interview should last approximately 15 to 30 minutes.
The admission interview is for the BA Scheme, not individual specialisms. All students will begin the programme with two common semesters. After the two common semesters, students without a Secondary Major will be streamed into one of the five specialisms according to their individual preference, overall GPA in Year One and/or interview results. Students will be asked to rank their specialism choices in order of preference during Semester 2 of Year One for consideration and approval by the School. Students who choose not to be streamed into any specialism will received a BA (Hons) in Fashion.
