News

PolyU Info Day 2025

PolyU Info Day 2025, held on 27 September 2025, was a resounding success that attracted an impressive turnout of over 43,000 visitors. This year, more than 5,000 secondary school students, parents, and prospective students gathered to explore the latest admissions and programme offerings from SFT. The School offered six informative sessions of programme delivery and student sharing, drawing over 500 attendees who were eager to learn about all the different opportunities available to them. Additionally, approximately 400 participants took part in nine engaging facility tours, which gave them insights into the state-of-the-art resources available to SFT students. A highlight of the day was the series of workshops on Fashion AI titled “Unlock the Future of Fashion: Weave AI into Fashion Design”. These workshops attracted around 100 participants who explored the intersection of technology and fashion design. The BA Fashion Exhibition at The Fashion Gallery was another major attraction, with over 2,500 visitors who enjoyed the creative and shortlisted works of graduating Design students. The annual Info Day provides a comprehensive and engaging platform for individuals interested in the fashion industry, thus reinforcing SFT’s commitment to fostering creativity and innovation in fashion education. SFT also expresses its heartfelt thanks to the dedicated faculty members, staff, and student volunteers who made the event truly unforgettable.

PolyU receives donation from GS Charity Foundation to support research on using AI to advance sustainable fashion design and brand ecosystem management

PolyU has received a generous donation from the GS Charity Foundation to support SFT's research project “From Tradition to Tech: A Holistic Approach to Sustainable Fashion Design and Brand Ecosystem Management in the Age of AI and Digital Platforms”. The research aims to drive sustainable fashion design and brand ecosystem management. The donation and kick-off ceremony for the research projects was held today on the PolyU campus, officiated by Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, PolyU President, and Mr Yeung Fan, Vice-chairman and General Manager of Glorious Sun Group. The two parties exchanged souvenirs to commemorate the occasion. Co-created by SFT and the Industrial Centre, the PolyU souvenir employs weaving techniques to depict PolyU’s iconic architecture. Engraved with the inscription “With chic, intelligently led fashion, PolyU extends its heartfelt gratitude,” it conveys the University’s deep appreciation to the Foundation for its generous support and highlights SFT’s commitment to driving fashion trends with innovation. In his welcoming remarks, President Teng expressed gratitude to Glorious Sun Group and GS Charity Foundation for its long-standing and steadfast support for PolyU’s development, adding: “AI is a core technology driving Hong Kong’s reindustrialisation and smart city development. With PolyU’s robust research capabilities, this collaboration will enable the continuous supply of talent for the textile sector, equipped with cutting-edge industry knowledge and AI expertise. This will help Hong Kong leverage its regional advantages and further consolidate the Greater Bay Area’s position as a hub for fashion innovation.” Mr Yeung said, “Since the 1980s, Glorious Sun Group has developed a deep partnership with PolyU — one that has remained strong for four decades. Our support for PolyU research into co-developing a brand ecosystem reflects our confidence in PolyU research excellence, testifies to our enduring collaboration, and affirms our shared commitment to nurturing outstanding talent and driving innovation and sustainability in the apparel industry.” Joining Prof. Teng and Mr Yeung at the kick-off ceremony were Ms Cheung Wai-yee, Director and Deputy General Manager of Glorious Sun Group; Professor the Honourable Poon Chung-kwong, PolyU President Emeritus; The Hon Jimmy Ng, Hong Kong Deputy to the National People’s Congress and Member of the Legislative Council; Dr Katherine Ngan, University Court Chairman; Prof. Wing-tak Wong, Deputy President and Provost; and Prof. Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation). After the kick-off ceremony, Prof. Joanne Yip, Associate Dean and Professor of SFT introduced the research project “From Tradition to Tech: A Holistic Approach to Sustainable Fashion Design and Brand Ecosystem Management in the Age of AI and Digital Platforms.” She noted that the fashion industry is undergoing a transformational shift, integrating cutting-edge technologies such as AI and digital platforms while also adopting sustainable practices. The extensive use of AI is providing innovative solutions for the industry, enhancing operational efficiency and delivering a brand-new customer experience. Furthermore, the integration of AI with emerging technologies — such as blockchain, cloud computing, big data and the Internet of Things — is creating unprecedented opportunities for enterprises. The research project will focus on the seven key areas below, developing innovative insights and solutions that integrate traditional fashion design with advanced technologies, including AI and digital platforms. This will help accelerate traditional design and manufacturing processes, and enhance the overall competitiveness of the fashion industry: Intelligent Data-Driven Design and Digital Transformation in the Fashion Industry AI Applications in Fashion: Revolutionising Apparel Review and Safeguarding Creative Assets Apparel Material Simulation and Optimisation System Robust Estimation of Product Budget and Data Mining of Production and Operational Data Managing Supply Ecosystems to Enhance Competitive Advantage: An Integrated Study of Multi-Role Supplier Collaboration Mechanisms in the Fashion Supply Chain Industry A Critical Examination of Online Consumer Reviews: Implications for Digital Transformation in the Fashion Sector AI-Based Optimisation Strategies for the Live Commerce Ecosystem

Prof. Dahua Shou Publishes Paper in Science

Prof. Dahua Shou has published a peer‑reviewed paper in one of the most prestigious academic journals, Science, on 28 Aug 2025. The topic of the paper is on sustainable personal cooling enabled by the use of advanced textiles and intelligent wearables. From 2000–2019, heat‑related causes claimed over 480,000 lives annually, while air conditioning contributed to approximately 12.3% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., thus fuelling a cooling paradox where more cooling breeds more warming. As heat waves intensify, conventional clothing is reaching its limits. This stand‑alone perspective proposes that sustainable personal cooling is essential for public health, worker safety, and decarbonisation, thus showcasing the leadership of PolyU across the fields of textile engineering, wearable technologies, thermodynamics, and artificial intelligence (AI). The article lays out a roadmap that unites four pathways—radiation, conduction, convection, and evaporation—towards next‑generation fabrics and smart systems. Highlights include spectrum‑engineered textiles that reject solar load and urban heat while radiating body heat, plus moisture‑responsive, breathable architectures that vent warm, humid air. Materials strategies span high‑conductivity fillers to aerogel‑inspired insulating fibres. Flexible organic photovoltaics with bidirectional electrocaloric modules expand the range of thermal comfort. Particularly, moisture management technologies advanced by Prof Shou enable optimised capillary evaporation, directional removal of sweat droplets, and low‑voltage e‑wicking systems that actively pump sweat for a consistently cool, dry feeling. Looking ahead, AI‑driven, self‑adaptive garments will learn from real‑time physiological and environmental conditions, harvest ambient energy (tribo/piezo/thermo/moisture‑electric), and orchestrate mode‑selective cooling. Integrated textile sensors and fibre‑based coolers will enable proactive, user‑friendly thermoregulation. Sustainable, monomaterial designs and minimised coatings will enhance recyclability, and standardised metrics are urgently needed to accelerate responsible, at‑scale adoption. The research was supported by the Research Grants Council, the Innovation and Technology Fund, and PolyU’s Endowed Young Scholars Scheme. Dr Ziqi Li contributed as co-author of the paper.

Illuminating Haute Couture: World Debut

Led by Prof. Jeanne Tan, SFT research students have been invited to collaborate on the opening piece for the CENTRESTAGE ELITES on 1 Sept 2025 at M+ in the West Kowloon Cultural District created by internationally acclaimed couturier Guo Pei. At this Guo Pei’s first solo couture show in Hong Kong, she presented 30 one-of-a-kind couture creations under the theme "Gilternity: An Everlasting Radiance” that drew inspiration from the dazzling, fleeting moments of flowing molten gold. Fusing traditional craftsmanship with technology, the collection epitomises her unparalleled artistry and technical mastery. In a gesture that honoured both tradition and innovation, Guo Pei invited GERI Limited, a spinoff company established by Prof. Tan and Tan Jun Jong from SFT to collaborate on the opening gown for the show. This one-of-a-kind intelligent textile was custom developed with Guo Pei based on patented technology developed by Prof. Tan’s research team. It integrates intelligent photonic systems with precision knit engineering to produce an interactive, illuminative material with stretchability. To realize the specific vision for this couture gown, novel advancements in seamless illumination pathways were developed exclusively for this application.  "We are immensely grateful and proud to have played a part in the magic of Guo Pei's breathtaking "Gliternity" couture debut at CENTRESTAGE ELITES Hong Kong. The past months have been a period of intense R&D driven by our goal to create the most spectacular effect for Madame Guo’s creative vision. It was a profound privilege to custom-develop a one-of-a-kind intelligent textile for this historic collection, based on patented technology invented by our research team." Prof. Tan shared.     Photo courtesy: Vogue Hong Kong  

Best Use of Australian Merino Wool Award goes to knitwear student Annie Duan

The Woolmark Company and Flinders Merino Group presented the Best Use of Australian Merino Wool Award to knitwear design graduating student Duan Qiqi Annie, in recognition of her innovative graduation collection showcasing creative applications of Australian Merino wool at the PolyU Fashion Show 2025. The award presentation was successfully held at the Woolmark Company’s Wool Resource Centre on 19 August. Annie’s collection, “Echoes of Bronze: Timeless Resilience,” draws inspiration from the ancient Sanxingdui civilisation and features exquisite 3D sculptural knitted pieces, demonstrating high-tech integration of Merino wool and advanced knitting techniques. The Woolmark Company is the global authority on Merino wool and owns the Woolmark logo, a quality assurance symbol found on more than 5 billion products. As a not-for-profit organisation, The Woolmark Company works alongside 60,000 woolgrowers in Australia to research, develop and certify Australian wool. They support and collaborate with like-minded fashion designers and brands. SFT would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to Flinders Merino Group, Australian Wool Innovation and The Woolmark Company for their unwavering support in nurturing fashion design talents over the past 17 years. In the past, awardees had the opportunity to visit the wool farm in Australia, where they learnt more about merino wool and broadened their horizons.

SFT Co-hosts 2025 Global Marketing Conference in Hong Kong

Co-hosted by SFT and the Faculty of Business of PolyU in collaboration with the Global Alliance of Marketing & Management Associations (GAMMA), the Global Marketing Conference (GMC) was successfully held at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong from 24 to 27 July 2025. This prestigious international academic event brought together leading scholars, industry experts, and emerging researchers from around the globe, which created a vibrant platform for knowledge exchange and networking. Congratulations to Prof. Erin Cho, Dean of SFT, as she was the recipient of the Excellent Leadership Award at the 2025 GMC which honoured her visionary guidance and commitment to advancing the field of marketing. A total of 1,102 participants from 58 countries registered for the Conference, with 2,008 authors presenting 697 papers. In addition to the main academic sessions, the GMC offered a rich programme that combined scholarly discourse with cultural and creative experiences. The Conference featured three industry tours, workshops on research methods held on PolyU campus, the 2025 GAMMA Art, Fashion & Design Exhibition at Hong Kong, 2025 GAMMA Invited Fashion Show, and a digital fashion show, which all took place concurrently. These different activities highlight Hong Kong’s unique position as a dynamic hub for fashion, business, and innovation, which gave the participants both academic insights and a memorable cultural experience. Prof. Erin Cho delivered the welcoming remarks at the reception, following the welcoming address by Prof. Eunju Ko of Yonsei University, Chair of the Organising Committee. The speeches conveyed heartfelt gratitude to the global participants for their involvement and emphasised the conference’s role in fostering global collaborations in marketing research. At the official opening event, the atmosphere was one of excitement and anticipation as the attendees networked, which set the tone for the inspiring sessions that followed. At the plenary session, Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, President of PolyU, delivered a welcoming address and highlighted PolyU’s commitment to global collaboration, innovation, and academic excellence. This was followed by welcoming addresses from Prof. Jiannong Cao, Acting Vice President (Education); Prof. Erin Cho, Dean of SFT; and Ir Prof. T.C. Edwin Cheng, Dean of the Faculty of Business. Each speaker warmly acknowledged the contributions of the participants and emphasised the importance of cross-disciplinary engagement in advancing marketing scholarship.

Newly minted PhD Chung King-yan publishes in Advanced Materials

The spotlight is on Chung King-yan, Claire, a BA degree holder and recent PhD graduate of SFT. This Hong Konger recently published “Cottonseed-Derived Reusable Bio-Carbon Gel Ink for DIW Printing Soft Electronic Textiles” in Advanced Materials, a prestigious journal in the materials sciences with an impact factor of 26.8. Claire began her academic journey as a dedicated undergraduate who majored in intimate apparel and activewear at SFT, where she graduated with first-class honours. She then pursued her PhD studies under the supervision of Prof. Xu Bingang and obtained her PhD degree in 2025. During her PhD studies, Claire was awarded SFT Outstanding Research Achievement Award 2024 (Research Postgraduate Students), and the overall quality of her PhD thesis was rated “excellent” by the Board of Examiners. Throughout her academic journey, Claire has consistently pushed the boundaries of clothing innovation by incorporating electronic technology with wearable design principles. Her pioneering work focuses on wearable electronics and E-textiles, which explores the integration of clothing and electronic devices with multifunctional applications that range from health monitoring to energy harvesting and human-machine interaction. Claire’s published work highlights her innovative approach to the direct ink writing (DIW) technique for textile electronics. Her research examines the development of reusable bio-carbon gel ink for DIW and a simple integration process of flexible electronics into textile fabric, thus realising significantly important properties and functionalities. The fabricated direct ink written e-textile system can be directly worn not only for motion sensing, self-powered pressure detection, and energy driving, but also realise artificial intelligence-empowered functionalities, including real-time signal recognition and robotic manipulation. By transforming clothing into next-generation electronic platforms, Claire envisions a future where garments are not just passive wearables but interactive, intelligent systems that enhance human capabilities and IoTs.

SFT Outstanding Staff & Alumni Award 2024 Presentation Ceremony

SFT proudly hosted the SFT Outstanding Staff and Alumni Award Presentation Ceremony on 18 July 2025. The ceremony honoured eight distinguished SFT staff as recipients of the School Awards for Outstanding Achievement. Three exceptional SFT alumni were also honoured as recipients of the Outstanding PolyU Alumni Awards 2024. The morning session commenced with insightful sharing by the accomplished SFT Outstanding Alumni, which drew a large crowd of enthusiastic colleagues and students. Dr Vien Cheung captivated the audience with her keynote address on the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), and offered invaluable insights into this academic impact measurement derived from her expertise. Mr Ray Lau followed with a highly relevant keynote with details on the complexities and opportunities within Mainland China's E-commerce business landscape by drawing from his leadership role at Jeanswest. Their compelling presentations proved particularly inspiring for the audience, sparked meaningful dialogue and profoundly enriched the collective knowledge of the SFT community with both scholarly and industry-relevant takeaways. The afternoon session featured the Award Presentation Ceremony. Amongst an environment with feelings of well-earned pride, the awardees received their well-deserved honours and shared personal insights into their achievements, thus highlighting the collaborative spirit and their vision for the future of their fields. This event celebrated their remarkable contributions, which united the SFT community in recognition of their excellence. Following the awards presentation, a post-ceremony reception with refreshments provided a valuable opportunity for the alumni, professors, staff, and students to mingle, share experiences, and strengthen their networks within the SFT community. Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award The Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award aims to recognise distinguished graduates of PolyU who have achieved distinction in their chosen fields, actively support their alma mater, as well as made impactful contributions to the wider community.  For details on the awardees of the Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award, please visit here. The School Awards for Outstanding Achievement The School Awards for Outstanding Achievement, organised by PolyU, recognise and celebrate the remarkable contributions of staff members in teaching, research and scholarly activities, knowledge transfer, and services.  For details on the awardees of the School Awards for Outstanding Achievement, please visit here.

Year-1 student Fiona Poon receives HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship 2024/25

Congratulations to our BA student, Fiona Poon, who has been awarded the prestigious HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship for the 2024/25 academic year. The award presentation on HSBC Scholar Day was held on 16 July 2025 at the HSBC Main Building in Central. Of the 11 PolyU awardees, Fiona is the only recipient from SFT — an extraordinary milestone for a first-year student. With an outstanding GPA and a remarkable record of achievements even before joining SFT, Fiona brings the same passion and curiosity to her studies in fashion design by integrating creativity, culture, and artistry in every step of the way. This scholarship will further empower her as she grows, learns, and makes her mark in the fashion world. The HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship is a highly esteemed award given to outstanding full-time Bachelor’s degree students in Hong Kong, which recognises academic excellence and encourages recipients to further their achievements. For over half a century, the HSBC Scholarship Scheme has granted scholarships that have enabled 7,500 students to pursue their dreams, with the goal of gaining new knowledge, skills, perspectives, and experiences to build more resilient communities in Hong Kong and elsewhere.

Fashion for Life Meaning: PolyU and HKFYG Empower Youth to Find Purpose Through Creativity

Fashion is more than style — it can be a powerful force for positive change and personal growth. This belief was at the heart of the “Beyond Style Fashion for Life Meaning - Fashion Show”, held on 5 July 2025, where 24 teenagers from the Youth Crime Prevention Centre of The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) took to the runway to share not only their designs, but also their journeys toward a more meaningful life. Co-organised by SFT, the PolyU Service-Learning and Leadership Office, and HKFYG, the event aimed to inspire young people — especially those from vulnerable backgrounds — to discover their unique value and purpose. Through close collaboration with 32 PolyU students, each teenager co-created a fashion collection that reflected their personal stories, dreams, and aspirations. The fashion show was more than a display of creativity; it was a celebration of resilience, self-discovery, and hope. By participating in the design process and presenting their creations on stage, the youth gained confidence, learned new skills, and found new meaning in their lives. The PolyU students, in turn, deepened their sense of social responsibility and learned the importance of using their talents to serve the community. “We believe that fashion can be a transformative medium,” said Prof. Jin Lam, project leader and Associate Professor. “Through co-designing and sharing their stories, these young participants and our students are empowered to express their values, embrace their potential, and find the courage to face life’s challenges with a renewed sense of purpose.” The “Beyond Style Fashion for Life Meaning - Fashion Show” stands as a testament to the power of creativity and collaboration in helping youth build positive, meaningful lives.