Prof. Raymond Wong Wai-yeung, SFT Interim Dean (third from left) and Mr Ota Tomoyuki, Chief Operations Officer of UNIQLO Hong Kong (third from right) showed their support to our students, together with SFT associate deans Prof. Kan Chi-wai (first from left) and Dr Joanne Yip; disciplilne leader Dr Chris Lo (second from right) and subject lecturer Dr Fan Di (first from right)
The Champion team and Mr Ota Tomoyuki
The 1st runner-up and Dr Xiao Chengyong
The 2nd runner-up and Ms Pam Poon
The Merit teams and Dr Chris Lo
SFT and UNIQLO, Japanese global apparel retailer, has recently joined hands to launch the “Sustainable Future Challenge Competition”, with an aim to promote longevity and repairability of clothing. It also hopes to bring changes to achieve a sustainable development in fashion, textiles and design industries, and apply professional knowledge for the betterment of the future.
This is the second collaboration between SFT and UNIQLO after the release of the “Survey on Consumer Perceptions of Sustainable Fashion in Hong Kong and Macau” in July 2022, which explores the views and perceptions of consumers in Hong Kong and Macau on sustainable fashion and the changing consumption patterns brought about by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Over one hundred students participated the competition, with ten finalists selected in November 2022 preliminary by a judge panel consisting of experts from UNIQLO and SFT. The ten finalists then proceeded to develop their initial idea upon financial support and supervision from UNIQLO and SFT, and presented their refined project on 2 February 2023.
The panel of judges of the final presentation are:
- Dr Fan Di, SFT Assistant Professor
- Ms Kathy Fan, Director, Human Resources & FR Management and Innovation Center Department, UNIQLO HONG KONG, LIMITED
- Dr Chris Lo, SFT Associate Professor
- Ms Pam Poon, Education Manager, Redress
- Ms Emon Shea, Director, Legal & Information Security Office Department, UNIQLO HONG KONG, LIMITED
- Mr Ota Tomoyuki, Chief Operations Officer, UNIQLO HONG KONG, LIMITED
- Dr Xiao Chengyong, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen
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(from left) Dr Fan Di, Ms Kathy Fan, Ms Pam Poon, Mr Ota Tomoyuki, Dr Chris Lo, Dr Xiao Chengyong and Ms Emon Shea |
Inspired by the traditional Japanese knots, the champion team made a series of pet cotton rope toys through the recycling clothes. The sustainable proposal could bring new business opportunity and was greatly appreciated by the judges. The 1st runner-up team compressed recycled textile wastes to make composite boards. This new type of material has an outstanding quality for the use in the production of furniture, sound absorbing board and construction materials. The 2nd runner-up team upcycled coffee ground into fiber for textiles and apparel production. This fiber has unique features of odors absorption, fast drying and UV protection. The judges have been deeply impressed by these outstanding projects, and the innovative ideas from other finalist teams.
Winning teams are:
- Champion "Pet Toys" by Chung Wing-tin, Nicole, Lam Tsz-shuen, Leung Wing-yan
- 1st Runner-up "Recycle Textiles Composites for Sustainable Society" by Lam Chak-wai, Lam Tsz-ki, Wong Mei-shan, Fok Chun-fung and Chung Ka-wai
- 2nd Runner-up "Green Fashion - Coffee Ground Fibre" by Tse Ka-wing, Au Man-yan, Cheung Mei-yan, Lau Tsz-yan, Pun Wai-jan and Sit Kai-man
- Merit "Regeneration of Applied Plastic Yarn - School Bag" by Lau Chu-yi, Jim Yu-ching Natalie, Hui Hei-yan, Zhou Yu-wei, Yiu Ching-yau and Leung Ka-yau
- Merit "3D Printing Accessories" by Chuk Hiu-lam, Tam Pui -ling, Choi Lok-yi, Tang Lai-sho, Wong Lai-ching and Tse Chun-ho
“The education to future industry leaders is essential for the development of sustainable fashion. In the meantime, the support from industry is important for education. This competition collaborated between SFT and UNIQLO have provided a unique learning experience for our students to apply what they have learned from the class into practices.” Said Dr Fan Di and Dr Magnum Lam who organized this competition.
Mr Ota Tomoyuki, Chief Operations Officer, UNIQLO HONG KONG, LIMITED said, “We have been actively pursuing our sustainability goals, strengthening our commitment to environmental protection and social sustainability, and are committed to giving back to the community through the power of apparel. We are honored to collaborate with SFT again to nurture creative talents for the industry. Through this competition, we have successfully identified many young talents in Hong Kong and were inspired by their visionary proposals. We look forward to working with young people to build a sustainable green future for the society and the next generation.”
