News

Dean's Distinguished Industry Lecture Series | Green and Low-Carbon Circular Economic Development Goals and Researches According to 14th Five-Year Plan

The third lecture of the Dean’s Distinguished Industry Lecture Series was given on 12 October by ITC and a close associate of PolyU - Dr Raymond Chu, PhD (Hon), DBA, A.T.I.. Dr Chu is the Chairman of The Hong Kong General Chamber of Textile; Chairman of Chemtax Industrial Co., Ltd.; and member of Advisory Committee on Textile & Clothing Industries of PolyU. His session entitled, “Green and Low-Carbon Circular Economic Development Goals and Researches According to 14th Five-Year Plan", gave an insights to fashion designers and merchandisers on the possible green manufacturing solutions to meet the government requirements in the coming five years planning. The talk was offered in a hybrid live format. Nearly 200 staff, students and alumni either attended in person and streamed the session on Zoom. Dr Chu introduced several environmental friendly initiatives and renewable resources, fibre, green dyeing system and finishing system. For details, please refer to his presentation file.   (Due to some technical problems, the video is not available.)

PolyU Undergraduate Info Day 2021

PolyU Undergraduate Info Day 2021 was successfully held on 10 October 2021. after the lowering of Tropical Cyclone  Signal 8. In view of the pandemic situation, the activity was conducted in hybrid mode for the first time. The Info Day provides students with the most up-to-date information about PolyU full-time undergraduate programmes. A broad range of activities, such as admission seminars, programme seminars, virtual booths, and consultations with PolyU academic staff, were arranged to help prospective students make an informed choice about their future academic pursuits at the University. The flexibility towards the minimum score requirement for JUPAS admissions will be continued, including for special talents with outstanding non-academic achievements such as sports talents under the Outstanding Sportsmen Recommendation Schemes (OSRS). Students who fall slightly short of the general entrance requirements for degree programmes (i.e. with one HKDSE subject result falling one level below the required level - “3-3-2-2-3-3” - level 3 in both languages and level 2 in Mathematics and Liberal Studies together with level 3 in two additional electives) will be given special consideration for admission.

2021年度广东省科学技术奖

提名项目的公示 为按照广东省科学技术厅关于2021年度广东省科学技术奖的条例及提名项目的公示要求，现将我校通过中山大学提名的2021年度广东省（自然科学奖）二等奖项目《高聚物基纳米杂化和复合材料的形成技术与协同增效机制》予以公示。如有异议，请实名与香港理工大学纺织及服装学系联系。 公示时间：2021年 10 月 6 日 -2021 年 10 月 12日 联系人： Poon Hosana 联系电话：852 2766 6414 地址：香港九龙红堪香港理工大学 詳情   香港理工大学纺织及服装学系 2021 年 10 月 9 日

Visit of advisory committee members and members of election committee – textiles and garment sub-sector

The 51st meeting of the Advisory Committee on Textile and Clothing Industries took place on 7 October 2021 under the chairmanship of Ms Shirley Chan, Vice Chairman of YGM Trading Ltd. Ms Chan welcomed the following new members to join the Advisory Committee: Mr Roger Chan, Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer, Cobalt Fashion (Hong Kong) Limited Ms Yan Chan, Senior Advisor for Sustainable Fashion, PIE Strategy Ltd Dr Raymond Chu, Chairman, Chemtax Industrial Co., Ltd. Mr Roger Lee, Chief Executive Officer, TAL Apparel Mr Eddie Yeung, Chairman, The Textiles and Clothing Alumni Association Ms Chan also expressed gratitude to Ms Vanessa Cheung, Founder of The Mills; Ms Angie Lau, CEO of Clover Group International Ltd.; Ms Irene Lau, Vice President, Lane Crawford China; and Dr Linus Siu, Director of TAL Apparel (S) Pte Ltd for their contribution in the past years. The committee members, which consist of the Head and Associate Heads of ITC, Associate Dean of Faculty of Science and Textiles, ITC committee chairman, and key industrial players, had a fruitful discussion. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, some members attended the meeting virtually. The meeting was very productive as the external members who have a wide range of expertise, offered very constructive suggestions and feedback to ITC towards its efforts in the future development, in particular, the proposal for upgrading the Institute to the School of Fashion and Textiles. After the meeting, five members of election committee – textile and garment sub-sector, including Mr Richard Cheng, Mr Peter Hui, Mr Eric Lau, Mr Kenny Yang, Mr Benson Yau, together with Ms Man Lau of the Clothing Industry Training Authority, joined the facility tour to understand the teaching and learning facilities, as well as the recent research achievements.

ITF funds ITC research projects HKD 11 million

The Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) of The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles (HKRITA) has approved a total of $11M for three ITC research projects in the past three months. Congratulations to Prof. HU Hong, Dr Tracy MOK, and Dr SHOU Dahua, who are the successful recipients of ITF funding for their research projects. Their focus is on development of 3D crimped polylactic acid (PLA) filaments and knitted products, a made-to-measure intelligent system, and soft robotic clothing, respectively. ITC research projects are diverse in scope and driven by a strong commitment to improve the well-being of the community, and excel in smart wearable technology, digital fashion technology, fashion sustainability and advanced fibrous materials through discovery and the pursuit of advancement in textiles technology. The list of the funded research projects is in the following table: ITF Project Title Project-in-charge Development of 3D crimped PLA filaments and knitted products with improved bulkiness and thermal insulation Prof. HU Hong Decentralised Intelligent Platform for Made-to-measure Mass Customisation Dr Tracy MOK Development of soft robotic clothing for adaptive thermal management Dr SHOU Dahua

ITC Alumni Networking Series

Hosted by Prof. Jintu Fan, Head and Chair Professor of ITC, the first ITC Alumni Networking Series was given on 30 September 2021 successfully. In response to the social distance restrictions, the activity was organised in a hybrid live format in the ITC 4D Theatre and streamed on Zoom. Prof. Fan shared that a series of consultation on upgrading the Institute to School is being conducted among staff and students, alumni and industrialists. "A new, independent school will provide a platform for ITC to achieve its vision, being the leading institution in fashion textile and design, education, research and partnership. It will also make ITC more visible." Prof. Fan said. An Industry Panel Discussion, presented by the FashionTech Timelapsed exposition Webinar Series, “Fashion Technology Adaptions: Past, Present and Future of the Supply Chain" followed. Three alumni including Ms Idy Lee from UNIFi3D, Mr Kim Ho from Crystal International Group, and Mr Roger Chan from Cobalt Fashion shared their views on various issues including:  how are modern fashion technologies integrated in their current product and supply chain in HK/Greater China what were their journeys like in adapting these technologies in HK/Greater China what role do they see design/PD sector play in such fashion technology adoption  in the coming 5-10 years of the industry in HK/Greater China, what impacts and advancements do they foresee The discussion was facilitated by FashionTech Timelapsed featured design scholars, Dr Sarina Sun, Assistant Professor of ITC; Dr Tsai-chun Huang, Research Assistant Professor of ITC. Before the end of the activity, Dr Joanne Yip, Chairlady of Partnership and Development Working Group, offered a facility tour to the alumni. They cherished the opportunities to reunite with their classmates and teachers! The event was jointly sponsored by The Textile and Clothing Alumni Association, Hong Kong Institution of Textile and Apparel, ITC Store, and The Fashion Gallery. 

Staff promotion

ITC is pleased to announce that Dr Lilly Li has been promoted to Professor effective 1 October 2021. Her research interests include design thinking, functional textile design, and advanced manufacturing. She has strong collaboration with various local and international brands and textile companies. She has successfully secured 64 projects worth a total amount of over HK$ 84 million, published over 90 research articles in world-leading and top-tier textile journals, and held 24 patents. Her research outcome is highly recognized by both academia and industry, generating a great impact on fashion business. The novel technologies developed have successfully trademarked for CN, EU, US, and HK, realized for mass production in tons scale and used for various commercial purposes with a total knowledge transfer value over HKD 300 million. With her achievement, she has won 29 prestigious international awards, including the Golden Award of the 46th and 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva for two consecutive years. Congratulation Prof. Li!

New channel for fashion lovers – Fashion Talks

We all know that fashion is not just about trends or appearance, it is a lifestyle and a movement. To provide more about the latest in the fashion industry, ITC is excited to announce the launch of a new video channel called Fashion Talks. Fashion Talks is a media platform that shares insider news /tips of front-line professionals, academics and fashion lovers. The first episode features three local fashion insiders about their must-have items in the coming season. Jimmy Chan, Head of Account Management of Farfetch, an online luxury fashion retail platform, talks about F/W menswear. Zaneta Cheng, a dynamic fashionista and Editorial Director of #Legend magazine, tells us about the styling trends for women in 2021 and the up and coming fashion brands from Hong Kong to keep an eye on. Lastly, independent menswear designer and visual artist, Kit Wan who works between Hong Kong and Scandinavia, brings us new ideas about what to wear in winter with a cross-cultural perspective. Kit is also an ITC alumnus. Get inspired by Fashion Talks for more fashion tips! Subscribe to Fashion Talks NOW Follow us for the latest trends and fashion tips on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fashion___talks/

Historic proposal to establish ITC as School of Fashion and Textiles

In a historic move, ITC is proposing to the Central Management of PolyU to establish ITC as a School of Fashion and Textiles separate from the Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles (FAST). Consultations with staff and students of ITC, ITC alumni as well as industry partners of ITC are currently being conducted. We believe that a school status will reinforce the international recognition of ITC as a world leader in fashion, textiles and design education and research. The change will greatly benefit our students, PolyU, the industry and society at large. Furthermore, the new status allows us to: provide a better platform for ITC to advance its mission as a leading institution in fashion, textiles and design education, research and partnerships; increase the presence of ITC locally, regionally and internationally; attract more high quality local and international students who intend to pursue studies in fashion and related areas;better reflect the changes in the Hong Kong fashion & textile industry and the academic programmes that ITC is offering; and better facilitate staff recruitment and development so as to better serve the fashion & textile industry. Consultation has been closed on 10 October 2021. ITC appreciates all the inputs and participation from different contributors.

Professors Kinor Jiang and Zijian Zheng supervising 2021 Hong Kong Scholars Programme postdoctoral fellows

In February 2022, 22 outstanding postdoctoral fellows selected from leading universities in Mainland China will take part in two-year research projects in Hong Kong under the guidance of 22 PolyU academics. These 22 individuals represent the largest share of this year’s cohort of 52 postdoctoral fellows among all government-funded universities in Hong Kong. Two ITC professors, Prof. Kinor Jiang and Prof. Zijian Zheng, will supervise two postdoctoral fellows who received their PhD from Donghua University and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology respectively. Our two professors are looking forward to meeting their postdoctoral fellow. Prof. Jiang's project aims to construct wearable electrochemical energy storage devices with high-performance flexible electrodes. The electrodes are fabricated by in-situ growing active materials on a textile substance via magnetron sputtering. The project will focus on the practical application performance of textile-based devices and is committed to developing green intelligent energy storage products. Prof. Zheng's postdoctoral fellow is currently Associate Professor of the Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He will be involved in a wearable electronics project. Electronic devices and systems with high stretchability are essential in the fields of wearable electronics, on-skin electronics, soft robotics, and bioelectronics. Stretchable electronic devices conventionally built with elastomeric thin films show a lack of permeability, which not only impedes wear comfort and creates skin inflammation over the long term with wear, but also limits the design form factors of device integration in the vertical direction. This project aims to develop new permeable and conductive materials for stretchable electronics. The scope of the project includes materials development and device fabrication to study the mechanical and electrical properties, as well as the biocompatibility of the materials and devices. About the 2021 Hong Kong Scholars Programme The 2021 Hong Kong Scholars Programme is a cross-border initiative to nurture postdoctoral fellows so that they conduct high-level research work, particularly in experimental science and the engineering disciplines. The initiative helps to cultivate research talent who will contribute to the development of innovation and technology in society. The programme is supported by the Society of Hong Kong Scholars and Mainland authorities, including the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The research projects cover about 15 subject areas, including chemistry, civil engineering, computer science, information and communication engineering, materials science and engineering, medical technology, and textiles.