PolyU Fashion Show 2026 wraps up in dazzling display of exquisite craftsmanship and innovative technology, as emerging designers narrate distinctive aesthetics

The School of Fashion and Textiles (SFT) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held its annual signature event, the PolyU Fashion Show 2026, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 3 July. The Show featured 21 talented graduating students, who unveiled a series of inventive fashion collections on the runway while competing for five awards and scholarships supported by the School’s industry partners. As PolyU’s hallmark annual fashion gala, the Show serves as a platform for emerging designers to demonstrate the skills and professional knowledge they have acquired and to express their unique fashion aesthetics through creative designs. This year’s event gathered nearly 1,200 industry experts, designers and fashion enthusiasts, while nearly 13,000 viewers from around the world joined via livestream, underscoring the vibrancy of the local fashion scene.

This year’s Fashion Show featured 21 fashion collections comprising 78 outfits, spanning casual wear, evening wear, intimate apparel and activewear. All works were meticulously designed by graduating students from the School’s flagship programme, the BA (Hons) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles. Through the language of fashion, the collections navigated a wide range of themes such as social ideologies, identity and multiculturalism. In their creative process, students incorporated multiple experimental techniques, including 3D printing, vacuum-formed resin moulding, fermentation and crystallisation processes, as well as organic materials such as bioplastics and kombucha scoby. The works fully demonstrated the innovative spirit and the courage to break new ground of this new generation of designers.

Prof. Erin CHO, Dean of PolyU SFT, said, “PolyU has long ranked among the world’s leading institutions in fashion and design-related academic disciplines. Over the years, it has nurtured generations of outstanding fashion design talents who have led industry trends with innovative thinking, cutting-edge technology and refined craftsmanship. As an important platform for emerging designers to showcase their innovative ideas and distinctive fashion styles, the PolyU Fashion Show has earned recognition from the local and international fashion communities. This year’s Show fully reflects our students’ passion for fashion design, their resilience and their commitment to professionalism and excellence. Every collection embodies its creator’s distinctive style and aesthetic vision. While honouring the legacy of craftsmanship, they have also boldly embraced innovation and pushed beyond traditional boundaries. I am confident that these emerging designers will continue to shine on both the local and international stage, contributing to the development of the fashion industry.”

Five awards and scholarships were presented at the Show to recognise participating graduates for their outstanding performance and to encourage them to continue pursuing excellence in the fashion industry. Among them, the Consinee Grand Award, sponsored by Consinee Group, provided the evening’s highlight. The Award was judged by five distinguished alumni active in different areas of the fashion industry, namely Ms Anne CHOW, Marketing and Business Development Manager of Consinee Group; Ms Constance LEE, Founder of CONSTYLE and Fashion Stylist; Ms Florence TSUI, Brand Manager of ONS Clothing – New York; Mr Kit WAN, Founder and Creative Director of Kit Wan Studios; and Mr Wilson YIP, Founder of Wilsonkaki.

The HKIAIA Overall Grand Award was judged by Ms Karen NG, Secretary of the Hong Kong Intimate Apparel Industries’ Association (HKIAIA). Members of the judging panels for the other awards and scholarships included Ms Janet CHEUNG, Project Director of the Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association (HKFDA); Prof. Alice CHU, Hon. Education Advisor of SFAA Foundation Limited; and Ms Dilys YIU, Design Director of Anteprima Ltd, Fenix Group Holdings Ltd.

The Consinee Grand Award was ultimately presented to CHENG Sze-ki, Bella from the specialism of Fashion Design, for her collection themed “BETWIXT AND BETWEEN”. Drawing inspiration from Zygmunt Bauman’s Liquid Modernity and Arnold van Gennep’s Rites of Passage, this collection reimagines liminality not as a fleeting transitional phase, but as a lasting and authentic state of identity. It focuses on the tension between the inner true self and the socially constructed image. A monochromatic palette of black, white, and grey forms the foundation of the series, layered with iridescent, chameleon-like liquid finishes that evoke constant transformation. Deconstructed suiting silhouettes, inverted jacket structures and layered sheer fabrics visualise an amorphous, fluid sense of identity, while traditional bespoke wool tailoring blends with innovative materials such as transparent SLA 3D-printed resin and laser-engraved organza, creating a striking interplay between structure and fluidity, permanence and change.

The HKIAIA Overall Grand Award was won by CHENG Sin-kei, Fion from the specialism of Intimate Apparel and Activewear, for her collection themed “Unraveled soul”. This collection is driven by the designer’s fascination with the unseen dimensions of the human psyche. Elusive, intangible and impossible to define, the soul becomes a metaphor for fluidity, freedom and constant transformation. Translating this ethereal essence into form, the collection explores a state of purity untouched by external forces. Soft tonal palettes, weightless translucent fabrics, and fluid, irregular silhouettes come together to evoke a dreamlike sensuality—inviting a deeper encounter with individuality, authenticity, and the beauty of the unguarded self.

For the full list of awardees and the winning works, please refer to the appendix. The electronic brochure is available here: https://polyu.hk/SPLIO