News

Promotions and appointments

SFT is pleased to announce the promotions of the following academic staff members as Professor with effective from 1 July 2023: Prof. Fei Bin           Prof. Chris Lo               Prof. Jeanne Tan      Prof. Yick Kit-lun Prof. Joanne Yip          We are also pleased to welcome the following academic staff members who took up the full-time positions in the past 9 months: Assistant Professor Dr Joonheui Bae Dr Chan Hau-ling Dr Chen Shaoyu Dr Ma Kaikai Dr Annie Yu Dr Zou Xingxing Research Assistant Professor Dr Chen Jianming Dr Guan Xiao-yang Dr Liang Ruixin Dr Pu Junhong Dr Shi Qiuqiong Dr Tian Tingting Professor of Practice Dr Chen Zhimin Ms Lam Mung Lar Teaching Fellow Dr Kitty Lam Instructor Ms Uki Lau

'Art on Fingers' Handkerchief Embroidery Workshops

To promote cultural heritage and artistic excellence, SFT proudly hosted the highly anticipated 'Art on Fingers' Handkerchief Embroidery Workshops for our students, staff members, and friends. The activities took place on 15 Jul and 28 Oct 2023, bringing together participants from a variety of different backgrounds to celebrate the rich traditions of Chinese craftsmanship. Led by Prof. Zhou Xueqing, a renowned expert with 40 years of experience in embroidery, the attendees were given the unique opportunity to explore the beauty and intricacy of this ancient art form. The activities showcased the remarkable treasures of Chinese embroidery, which have been passed down from generation to generation for over 2,000 years. During the workshops, the participants were guided through the process of creating their own embroidered masterpiece — a small flower handkerchief. Prof. Zhou's expert instruction and skillful demonstration enabled the attendees to delve into the world of embroidery to learn the related techniques and skills. The workshops were a captivating blend of artistry, cultural exchange, and education. The participants not only experienced the joy of transforming threads into works of art but also gained a deeper appreciation for the historical and cultural significance of embroidery as a Chinese heritage. In addition to the hands-on activities, the events featured a small but exquisite exhibition of Prof. Zhou's own embroidery creations. Each piece showcased her innovative approach and unwavering dedication to preserving this intangible cultural heritage.

PolyU Info Day 2023

PolyU Info Day 2023 was successfully held on 21 October, attracting over 4000 prospectus students and their teachers and parents to visit SFT booth. A broad range of activities, including seven talks on undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes.; ten guided tours to studios, laboratories and workshops; fashion exhibitions; and consultation sessions were offered to help prospective students making an informed choice about their future academic pursuits at SFT. In addition to undergraduate programme, SFT is committed to nurturing professional talents by providing a wide array of high-quality postgraduate programmes to meet the ever-changing needs of industry and society. In the academic year of 2024/25, SFT will offer three new taught postgraduate programmes, covering topics of couture fashion, sustainable fashion, and wearable technology. All these programmes are now open for application. Programmes to be offered in 2024/25: BA (Hons) in Fashion [JUPAS code: JS3050] MA/PgD in Bespoke and New Couture MA in Fashion and Textile Design MA in Global Fashion Management MSc/PgD in Intelligent Wearable Technology MA/PgD in Sustainable Fashion and Innovation

“Stitchable Chinese Arts” Fashion Design Competition

    !!!! Results Announcement !!!!   Please click the poster to download the project brief 網上簡介會 Online Briefing (3 November 2023): 小學 Primary: 3:15 pm – 4:15 pm (PDF) 中學 Secondary: 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm (PDF) 網上簡介會 Online Briefing (27 November 2023)

Advance Denim: Digital Sustainable Denim Competition

Congratulations to Liu Yawen (MA, 2023), winner of First Prize; Yin Hao (MA, 2023), winner of the Most Creative Award; and Sheng Zhichao (MA, 2023) finalist of the ‘Advance Denim: Digital Sustainable Denim Competition 2023’. They are all graduating students from the MA in Fashion and Textile Design. The competition, organised by Advance Denim, aims to inspire and empower the next generation of designers to be pioneers in the digital fashion movement. A total of 10 finalists were shortlisted out of many entrants who hail from the best art and design colleges and universities globally. The shortlisted works were rigorously evaluated and scored in four major areas: conceptual sustainability, clothing application prospects, clothing innovation, and denim aesthetics. Liu Yawen received First Prize for her denim design “Chip Sacrifice”. One of the judges, Adriano Goldschmied, had this to say about Winifred’s design: " I really appreciate that she used recycled materials to create the metal accessories. Not only does it reduce the negative impact on environmental pollution, but also shows the commitment to and choice of using an environmentally friendly design. In terms of the design aesthetics, I love the asymmetry, especially on jackets, with the flexibility to zip it up or button it down. It’s very creative!” Another judge, Jason Denham, commented, “I love the smooth symmetrical cuts and interesting textures and finishing of the design.” All of the winners of the competition have the opportunity to produce their designed garment, which will be displayed and shown on the catwalk at the Hong Kong Denim Festival x Kingpins in November 2023. Many renowned designers and seniors from abroad served as the panel of judges at this competition: Adriano Goldschmied, Italian Fashion Designer (also known as "the Godfather of denim") Jason Denham, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Denham the Jeanmaker Amy Wang, one of the most influential figures in the global Rivet denim fabric industry Five senior designers from Advance denim Congratulations to all the winners.

Chan Hiu-nam: from Intern to Marketing Vendor at FENDI

“Never hesitate to seize opportunities and explore your passion. The only way to achieve something extraordinary and go beyond your wildest dreams is by taking chances.”   SFT takes pride in sharing the career journey of one of our final year BA students, Chan Hiu-nam, Herbie, documenting how Herbie is making remarkable strides in the luxury fashion industry. We chatted with her briefly to learn more about her experiences and insights as an intern and then staff at FENDI. Q: How did you find out about the internship opportunity at FENDI, a prestigious luxury fashion house? A: I learned about the opening through an email from Dr Carrie Wong, who manages SFT’s fashion business internship programme. The email informed all of the BA students about the marketing internship opportunity at FENDI Hong Kong. Without hesitation, I jumped at the chance, driven by my unwavering passion for the luxury fashion industry. Q: How did you prepare for your job interview with FENDI? A: Before the interview, I spent time to thoroughly prepare myself, role playing by practicing Q&A interviews to make sure that I was fully ready. Throughout the formal interview, my focus was on showing my profound passion for fashion, expressing my eagerness to contribute to both the fashion house and the team, and emphasising my commitment to continuous learning and development. Crucially, my aim was to present myself authentically, and share my good-natured character, career aspirations, and objectives for the luxury fashion industry. During the interview, I had the sense that FENDI was looking for someone who not only has a profound understanding and passion for fashion but also embodies self-love and authenticity. Fortunately, I successfully navigated the interview and secured an offer, which marked the start of my journey in FENDI's marketing internship programme in July 2023 — an exciting introduction to both my very first internship and the beginning of my career in the world of luxury fashion. Q: What is your current position? A: Initially, I started as an intern in the Regional Relations and Communications Department. I gained a sense of deep satisfaction with my work and appreciated the collaborative spirit of the team. Notably, my dedication was acknowledged, and at the end of my internship, I was pleasantly surprised to receive an offer to continue my work with FENDI. While my title has now changed to "Marketing Vendor", my responsibilities remain the same. Q: What are your primary responsibilities? A: My primary responsibilities include providing support to FENDI’s Regional Public Relations & Communications team. I organise media relations, coordinate with celebrities, and manage editorial and digital PR activities for FENDI’s Asia Pacific region and Hong Kong. I also work closely with the press coordinator on overseeing the overseas PR samples that are loaned out to celebrities and the media. Furthermore, I contribute to and participate in various PR campaigns and events hosted in Hong Kong. Q: What advice do you have for students who aspire to enter the luxury fashion industry? A: Be attentive to the emails from the School; you never know when they might present an opportunity that aligns with your career aspirations. Additionally, take the initiative to explore new internship prospects by thoroughly researching online. When you find job opportunities, don’t hesitate. Apply for the position! Explore your passion because the only way to do something extraordinary and go beyond your wildest dreams is by taking chances. SFT appreciates Herbie’s time and wisdom for sharing details of her career journey and valuable advice to her fellow peers and SFT students. We cannot wait to see the wonderful things that she is going to achieve at FENDI and wish her all the best.

Mint Studio: SFT's new fashion networking platform

Mint Studio, a new fashion networking platform under the School, is ready to offer new and exciting possibilities. This new venture connects local creators and can be used to explore endless possibilities in fashion design and industry practices in the Greater Bay Area. Mint Studio fosters close connections between designers and studio members, and encourages design sharing. The platform increases the exposure of both parties through a variety of different media channels, including fashion shows, pop-up spaces, exhibitions, trade shows, collaborations, business matching, etc. Mint Studio empowers local fashion talents, and is a virtual community for SFT alumni, initiating all kinds of collaborations. Mint Studio has hosted and collaborated with the industry for a series of exciting fashion events, including the showcase at CENTRESTAGE 2023, Futian International Fashion Exhibition, röyksopp gakkai x OKURA POP-UP, SZMAN x MHMH exhibition, K11 Skies Exhibition, Fashion Asia Hong Kong 2023, and K11 MUSEA Cement Pop-up, which highlight the talents of SFT alumni and graduates. Apart from physical events, Mint Studio’s virtual platform provides a seamless and efficient experience, enabling designers to effortlessly exhibit their works to buyers, consumers, media outlets, investors, and stylists.

Dr Fang Bo receives GRF and NSFC Young Scientists Fund 2023

Dr Fang Bo, Research Assistant Professor, is the grateful recipient of two external funds in 2023, including a General Research Fund (GRF) for RMB 1.1 million and National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) grant for RMB 300,000. The grants allow Dr Fang to pursue his interest in the structural optimisation and performance improvement of new-frontier functional fibres. After joining SFT in 2022, his focus has been on the scalable production of ultrafine conductive polymer fibres by using an innovative strategy of a good solvent exchange. The GRF project titled "Highly Crystalline Conducting Polymer Fibers via Good Solvent Exchange: Mechanism, Fabrication and Application" will conduct multidimensional demonstrations of the molecular migration theory during a good solvent exchange process, thus further establishing a general protocol to fabricate crystalline conductive polymer fibres and developing advanced fibrous electronics. The NSFC project titled "Study on the Controllable Fabrication and Ion-Regulation Performance of Ultrafine PEDOT Fibres" extends the good solvent exchange strategy to the industrial production of a specific type of conductive polymer fibre -  ultrafine poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) fibres, to build a relationship between ion regulation performance and the crystalline state, and manufacture durable ion-based devices. Dr Fang is committed to meeting the research objectives as he wishes to create reliable high-performance functional fibres and further the development of the functional fibre industry.

Advance Denim x MA Fashion and Textile Design collaboration

The MA in Fashion and Textile Design programme is proud to collaborate with Advance Denim, a highly respected denim manufacturer with the oldest denim mill in China. This partnership offers the MA fashion design students a unique opportunity to work alongside Advance Denim in creating a digital capsule denim collection. Our students immersed themselves in the world of denim by exploring its history and sustainable practices. Supported by our industry partners, they addressed sustainability challenges during the design phase through workshops and seminars. In April, the impressive designs by our MA students were showcased in a digital catwalk video at the Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics. 28 students presented their work to an industry panel, and five winners were selected to produce a physical version of one outfit from their digital collection. Over the course of several months, they worked closely with the Advance Denim product development team in Shunde, Guangzhou. The resulting outfits will be showcased at the Hong Kong Denim Festival in November, which is excellent exposure for our talented MA students.  This collaboration exemplifies the School’s dedication to innovation and sustainability, while offering invaluable real-world experience to our students.

PolyU delegation visits Beijing and Tianjin

Led by Dr Lam Tai-fai, PolyU Council Chairman and Prof. Wing-tak Wong, PolyU Deputy President and Provost, a delegation from SFT visited Beijing from 12 October to 14 October, engaging in fruitful cooperation and exchanges with four local universities. Participating staff members include Dean Prof. Erin Cho, Associate Dean Prof. Joanne Yip, Assistant Professors Dr Huang Tsai-chun and Dr Jin Lam, Professor of Practice Dr Chen Zhiming, and PolyU's Mainland Development Office Director Prof. Lu Haitian. During the visit to Tsinghua University, in the presence of leaders from both universities, Prof. Cho and Prof. Ma Sai, Dean of the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University, signed a Memoranda of Understanding (MoU). The MoU lays the foundation for further collaboration between the two schools, including faculty visits, student and academic exchanges. The PolyU delegation also visited the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, Beijing Union University and Tiangong University, to strengthen the collaboration with these top-tier fashion and textiles institutes.