News

Knitwear students wow visitors at ‘Knit Innovation Tech Show 2022’

The ‘Knit Innovation Tech Show 2022 - KNITogether’ organised by the Consinee Group and SHIMA SEIKI was held successfully on 23rd – 26th August. The event showcased the yarn trends for Fall Winter 2023-24 and featured fashion sustainability in knitwear. The organisation initiated the collaborative upcycling project with the School of Fashion and Textiles (SFT) and invited the knitwear students to design swatches and knitted outfits by reusing the knitted fabric samples that they provided. The creative works of the students were displayed in the show room at the Consinee Group, where visitors are mainly knitwear industrialists. The collaborative project first kicked off in early June. The Consinee Group visited SFT to present their latest fall/winter collection and the yarn trends, which featured 37 shades of botanical cashmere. Then the students visited the Consinee Group to select the materials for the upcycling design project. They were free to design and knit fabric swatches with the yarns provided by Consinee or convert the knitted fabrics into sustainable fashion products. The design and production process took about 2 months. The best five works by the students were selected by Consinee and showcased in the tech show, which demonstrated creative stitching with artistic embellishments, contemporary designs and combinations of vivid colours. Their works thoroughly embodied creativity and sustainability in knitwear at the same time. The selected students will receive yarn sponsorship from Consinee for their final year project in the coming year. About the Consinee Group Founded in 1999, the Consinee Group is the largest manufacturer and exporter of high-end cashmere yarn in China. They have an advanced green manufacturing industry chain base, which involves dyeing, spinning different kinds of yarns, producing high quality fabrics, import-export trading, digital logistics, intelligent manufacturing and an information platform. They are the only large-scale spinning company in China that completely uses new and imported automatic production lines. About SHIMA SEIKI More than 60 years after its establishment, SHIMA SEIKI is highly regarded as a top manufacturer of computerised flat knitting machines and design systems. The company contributes to the growth of the fashion industry through their widely-adopted creative technologies and innovations.

Prof Raymond Wong conferred Clarea Au Endowed Professorship in Energy

The Fourth Inauguration of Endowed Professorships cum the First Inauguration of Endowed Young Scholars was held on 31 Aug 2022 to pay tribute to distinguished scholars for their outstanding academic and research achievements, and demonstrate community support and recognition to PolyU for its research excellence. Prof. Raymond Wong, Interim Dean of SFT, was conferred the Clarea Au Endowed Professorship in Energy. Prof. Wong is devoted to the development of advanced materials for enhanced energy uses and tells us that “The Endowed Professorship will further strengthen my research in developing new molecular and nano materials for energy conversion (light/electrical and thermal/electrical)”. Prof. Wong is currently Chair Professor of Chemical Technology in the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and Dean of the Faculty of Science at PolyU. Prof. Wong is very interested in the design and synthesis of new molecular functional materials, and metallopolymers with photo functional properties and energy functions. The scope of his work ranges from innovative research to application studies. At present, his team is working on sustainable energy sources and improving energy conversion technologies to meet future global energy demands and work towards a cleaner environment. Prof. Wong has published more than 700 research papers in leading international scientific journals and is among the world’s top 1% on the Institute for Scientific Information list of most-cited chemists and materials scientists. He was named a Thomson Reuters (now Clarivate Analytics) Highly Cited Researcher for seven consecutive years (2014–2020). Prof. Wong was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in 2005 and a Founding Member of the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences. He is the first Chinese scientist presented with the RSC Chemistry of the Transition Metals Award, and subsequently decorated with countless international and national awards. He also received the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship, Natural Science Award (First Class) of the Ministry of Education, FACS Distinguished Young Chemist Award, JPA Lectureship Award for Asian and Oceanian Photochemistry, Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Prize for Scientific and Technological Innovation, State Natural Science Award (Second Class), and Research Grants Council (RGC) Senior Research Fellow Award, among others. Congratulations Prof. Wong.

PolyU announces the establishment of the School of Fashion and Textiles to nurture innovative, creative fashion talent and seize opportunities in the Greater Bay Area

On the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, PolyU announced the official upgrade of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC) and the establishment of the School of Fashion and Textiles (SFT), the third flagship and independent school within PolyU. The opening ceremony was held at the University’s Jockey Club Innovation Tower on 2 September. The School is an international institution integrating fashion and textile education, and innovative technology research. It will comprehensively enhance the competitive advantage of SFT graduates and Hong Kong’s fashion and textile industry while also aligning it with the market development of the Greater Bay Area. The School’s vision is to lead the fashion industry and create societal impact while offering solutions that leverage the research and innovative excellence of the School. The School is renowned for its world-class teaching and academic achievements. Its academics come from around the world, specialising and leading the way in a variety of academic and research areas including wearable and smart textiles, medical textiles and functional clothing, social fashion design, sustainable fashion, digital fashion marketing, and fashion supply chain management. According to a report by Stanford University in 2021, 13 ITC Scholars are ranked among the world’s top 2% scientists. Furthermore, according to CEOWORLD magazine, SFT was ranked the 3rd in Asia and 43rd in the world of the World’s Best Fashion Schools in 2022. The School has set and reached significant milestones in its pursuit of research excellence for societal impact. Last year, SFT was highly appraised in the Hong Kong University Grants Committee (UGC) “2020 Research Review Exercise”, and its research in the creative arts, performing arts and design was the best among the eight UGC-funded institutions. Officiating guests at the opening ceremony included Mr Sunny Tan, Member of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR – Textiles, and Garment constituency; Dr Lam Tai-fai, Chairman of the PolyU Council; Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, President of PolyU; and Ms Shirley Chan, Chairlady of the Advisory Committee of SFT. Prof. Jin-Guang Teng, President of PolyU, said, “It gives me great pleasure to inaugurate the School of Fashion and Textiles as the University’s third flagship and independent school. The new School will push the boundaries of educational and research excellence even further. SFT’s vision is to be a world-leading centre in fashion and textiles education, interdisciplinary research and collaboration, playing a pivotal role in developing Hong Kong into a world-renowned fashion hub.” Ms Shirley Chan, Chairlady of the SFT Advisory Committee, said, “The new School of Fashion and Textiles will have a new emphasis on education, research and industry partnerships. PolyU has been a leading institution for fashion and textile education and research, both in Asia and globally, since 1957. The transformation of ITC to the School of Fashion and Textiles reflects its continuing position as an educational leader for many years to come.” To meet the increasing demand for advanced technology in the fashion and textile industry, SFT has worked closely with the industrial sector both locally and internationally to introduce knowledge transfer and apply innovative and insightful technologies. Significant projects include the Nu-Torque™ singles ring-yarn technology, the personalised posture training system for medical, sports and healthcare applications, and intelligent 3D human-modelling technology. These have had ground-breaking and far-reaching influences within the industry. Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as successfully developing new anti-virus 3D printing materials, anti-virus reusable PU30 masks, and protective clothing, SFT has maintained its close ties with the government, NGOs and disadvantaged groups. SFT has earmarked additional resources to foster academic and technological education and research. Its courses keep pace with the times in order to best meet market requirements for advanced technology, and new subjects including artificial intelligence, digital fashion design, e-commerce and sustainable development are all being added to the School’s programmes. The revamped undergraduate programme - BA (Hons) Scheme in Fashion, and the taught postgraduate programme - MA in Global Fashion Management, are vivid representations of a prestigious, high quality, full spectrum fashion education with the trilogy of design, business and technology to accommodate local, regional and international demand for fashion talent.

Natalie Jim and Hana Wong, winners of 'Move to Natural' Challenge @Redress Design Award 2022

Congratulations to Natalie Jim (BA Year 3, fashion design) and Hana Wong (BA Year 2, fashion retail and marketing), who recently won championship with their teammates and finalists Livia Aguiar de Castro and Federico Badini Confalonieri in the “Move to Natural” challenge of the Redress Design Award 2022 on 2 Sept, organised by Redress and supported by Icebreaker® of VF Corporation. As part of the Redress Design Award 2022, eight selected SFT students teamed up with 9 finalists from Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Chile, Brazil, India and Sri Lanka to take part virtually in the “Move to Natural” challenge. The participants were required to design a solution for a 100% natural fibre product by reusing textile waste from the supply chain of Icebreaker®.  Mr Sean Cady, who is Vice President, Global Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing of VF Corporation, served as the judge for this challenge. About the Redress Design Award The Redress Design Award is the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition. Organised by Redress, the programme works to educate emerging fashion designers around the world about sustainable design theories and techniques in order to drive growth towards a circular fashion system. By putting sustainable design talent in the global spotlight, the Redress Design Award creates a unique platform for passionate and talented fashion game-changers to transform the global fashion industry and rewards the best with career-changing prizes to maximise long-term impact. About US fashion group VF Corporation VF Corporation, a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories, together with its Icebreaker® brand, collaborated with environmental charity Redress for the Redress Design Award 2022. Through the collaboration, VF and the Icebreaker® brand used their experience and expertise in sustainability to support the education and professional development of the industry’s next generation of sustainable fashion designers and promote efforts toward a circular economy.

STANZAE SW I exhibition in Italy

The STANZAE SW I exhibition was held in Italy from 30 July to 12 August 2022 in the first ART & POETRY open-air museum – the APPA Museum, in Palermo, Italy. Dr Tsai Chun Huang, Research Assistant Professor of SFT exhibited two of his artworks at STANZAE SW I, together with more than twenty other selected American and European artists. One of the exhibits of Dr Huang is a Pat ka Chiòng hand tufted mask of the Winter Guardian. In response to the theme of ‘20 Santi’ (20 Saints), Dr Huang picked the Winter Guardian from the ‘Pat ka Chiòng (八家將)’ found in Taiwanese folklore, who maintain order and capture evil spirits during religious troupes. The 8 guardians are gods of the underworld. Dr Huang presented the Winter Guardian based on the image of birds. Dr Luca Lo Sicco, Teaching Fellow of SFT, is the curator of the exhibition and said, “We want to encourage and increase the sense of belonging to this city, both of the people of Palermo and of foreigners who come and love it."

SFT Orientation Day 2022

Prof. Raymond Wong, Interim Dean of SFT, welcomed nearly 400 first year BA, BSc and MA programme students at the SFT Orientation Day on 25 August 2022. The programme has resumed back to in-person after two years of managing the COVID-19 pandemic and was held in the Jockey Club Auditorium of PolyU. The school orientation allows first year students to explore the different options for involvement on campus. The students also had the opportunity to meet their programme leaders and academic advisors, and familiarise themselves with their study programme and the services offered by SFT and PolyU. During the orientation, Dr Joe Au, Associate Dean of SFT, first provided an overview of SFT and then an introduction of the state-of-the-art facilities at SFT. The first-year students can enjoy a well-developed learning environment with over 30 laboratories, workshops and studios. Dr Joanne Yip, Associate Dean of SFT, then shared the potential learning experiences and opportunities at SFT, including a wide range of internship programmes, international competitions and an exchange programme. SFT warmly welcomes all first-year students who are commencing their studies in AY 2022-2023!  

PolyU Fashion Show 2022 - nurturing young talents for the fashion industry

32 graduating students of SFT showcased their talent through their creative designs at the PolyU Fashion Show 2022 last week. The students demonstrated their distinctive styles and concepts in their graduation projects to industry professionals, families and friends at the annual show staged at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This is the first undergraduate fashion show after the upgrade of the School and marks the return of the annual iconic institutional show after a two-year break due to the pandemic. The Show presented exciting works by newly graduating students from the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles, embracing the three majors of fashion design, knitwear design, and intimate apparel and activewear design. Providing an opportunity for the students to share their amazing designs on the catwalk, the Show attracted nearly 700 guests including influential figures from the industry, famous fashion designers, media friends and fashion bloggers, while an audience of over 7,000 watched the live show online. The Show was officiated by Prof. Jin-guang TENG, President of PolyU; Prof. Wing-tak WONG, Deputy President and Provost of PolyU; Dr Miranda LOU, Executive Vice President of PolyU; and Prof. Raymond WONG; Interim Dean of SFT.  Reflecting their solid design training from SFT, each finalist demonstrated three pieces of design from their collection, competing for the various awards and scholarships offered and supported by our industry partners. The judging panel comprised (in alphabetical order): Ms Janet Cheung, Project Director, Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association Mr Tony Kong, Assistant President, Fountain Set (Holdings) Limited Ms Ale Lau, Chief Designer, Yintak Intex Co. Limited Ms Constance Lee, Founder, ConStyle Ms Hoi-ni Leung, Head of Creation, Pioneer Elastic (Hong Kong) Limited Mr Ronan Leung, Creative Design Manager, Avery Dennison RBIS Apparel Solutions Ms Karen Ng, Secretary, Hong Kong Intimate Apparel Industries’ Association Ms Nicola Shears, Head of Creative Design Asia, Triumph International Services (APAC) Limited Mr Kit Wan, Founder, Kit Wan Studios Ms Brenda Yang, Technical Manager, The Woolmark Company and Flinders Merino Group Mr Ryan Yeung, Chief Designer, Legend Swimwear Factory Limited Ms Dilys Yiu, Director, Fenix Group Holdings Limited Mr Karmuel Young, Founder, Karmuel Young The Overall Winner was TSANG On-ting with their theme of “Exhausting a crowd”. As the success of our alumni is of vital importance to the School, a series of home-coming events was also hosted. Three outstanding alumni designers, who were once selected as the finalists of their graduation show - Ms Constance Lee (BA, 2013), Mr Kit Wan (BA, 2013) and Mr Karmuel Young (BA, 2007) - were invited to join our judging panel for the selection of the Overall Winner, 1st Runner-up and 2nd Runner-up awards for the fashion and knitwear design finalists. These outstanding alumni designers not only established their own design labels after graduation but have also become key figures in defining and shaping the Hong Kong fashion industry. SFT maintains strong ties with its alumni, and their success stories are inspiring, encouraging and valuable to both young talents and the industry as a whole. In this show, 14 alumni designers who received awards from 2021 and 2022, but could not show their works due to the pandemic, were invited to showcase them with current graduating students so as to share their success with us.

Best Use of Australian Merino Wool Award goes to Allison Lam

The Woolmark Company and Flinders Merino Group presented the Best Use of Australian Merino Wool Award to knitwear design graduating student Tso Hiu-lam Alison for her graduation collection that promoted innovative applications of Australian Merino wool at PolyU Fashion Show 2022.  The award presentation was successfully held at The Woolmark Company’s Wool Resource Centre on 27 August 2022. Allison’s collection is called “GEN Z”, which combines the past and future as retrofuturism. The idea behind her design was inspired by the movie, Matrix. One of the scenes of the movie is set in the 22nd century based on the simulation of the 1990s, so that people believe that they are living in the end of the 20th century. It’s like time traveling. Allison’s collection highlights the features of futurism, form-fitting shapes, code patterns and 90s vibrant normcore silhouettes. The Woolmark Company is the global authority on Merino wool and owns the Woolmark logo, a quality assurance symbol applied to more than 5 billion products.  As a not-for-profit organisation, The Woolmark Company works alongside Australia’s 60,000 woolgrowers to research, develop and certify Australian wool. They support and collaborate with like-minded fashion designers and brands. We would like to thank The Woolmark Company and Flinders Merino Group for their continuous support so that the next generation of fashion design talents can be nurtured.

SFT Summer Programme 2022

On 9 Aug 2022, 25 young fashion lovers from different secondary schools joined our PolyU Summer Programme and got inspired from workshops “Creative Thinking and Practice in Fashion Design” and “Design & Make Your Own Bag”. Participants leant a lot about design thinking, skill sets, applications and sewing of a T-shirt and denim tote bag.  In just a half day, they found what it is like being a fashion student in SFT!

SFT welcomes Prof. Wang Xungai

SFT is pleased to announce the hire of Prof. Wang Xungai, the newly appointed Chair Professor of Fibre Science and Technology. Before joining SFT, Prof. Wang held the position of an Alfred Deakin Professor, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Future Fibres), and Director of the ARC Research Hub for Future Fibres at Deakin University in Australia. Prof. Wang obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in Fibre Science and Technology and Graduate Diploma of Higher Education from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in 1992 and 1996 respectively. He worked as Senior Lecturer at the UNSW before he joined Deakin to start research on fibre/textile materials there in 1998. He held a Personal Chair at Deakin and was the Director of Centre for Material and Fibre Innovation from 2008 to 2010. Between 2011 and 2017, Prof Wang served as Deputy Director and then Director of the largest research institute at Deakin, the Institute for Frontier Materials, which enjoys the highest ERA ranking score of 5 in Australia. Prof. Wang received the Fiber Society Award for Distinguished Achievement in Fiber Science and the H&M Foundation Global Change Award in 2005 and 2017 respectively. In 2019, the ARC Research Hub for Future Fibres led by Professor Wang received the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to Industry and Employer Partnerships. Prof. Wang's research interests are primarily in sustainable fibres and textiles. He is Editor-in-Chief of a premier journal in the textile field, the Journal of the Textile Institute (UK).