News

ITC Orientation Day 2021

Prof. Jintu Fan, Head and Chair Professor of ITC, welcomed nearly 380 freshmen of BA, BSc and MA programmes at the ITC Orientation Day on 25 September 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme was conducted in hybrid mode – both physical and online. During the programme orientation, freshmen could explore a wide range of opportunities that they may get involved on campus. This was also a valuable occasion for them to meet their programme leaders and academic advisors, and get to know the services offered by ITC and the University.

ITC stages MA in Fashion & Textile Design Fashion Show 2021

ITC held its dynamic MA Graduation Fashion Show "Vessels" on 5 August at The Mills. Over 200 guests, including renowned figures in the design and fashion industry, family, friends and supporters were in the audience. 24 outstanding talents from the programme of Master of Arts (MA) in Fashion and Textile Design under ITC presented their design projects in the Show. The design collections showcased the unusual ingenuity in today’s fashion of the graduating students and disclosed their vision and foresight for the future fashion trend. Their masterpieces not only enhanced the vibrancy of the event that the audience waited with anticipation, but also served as a testament to the distinctive quality of PolyU’s MA Programme in Fashion and Textile Design in nurturing talents for the fashion industry in Hong Kong and beyond. Under the new leadership of Ryan Scott Houlton, programme leader of MA in Fashion & Textile Design, the Programme is rapidly gaining in reputation as a flagship for innovative design training in the region. Talented and ambitious young creatives are guaranteed a year of challenging practice and coaching to produce extraordinary results. This year students have embarked on some amazing industry collaborations with renowned brands, designing footwear for Spanish shoe brand, Camper. And eyewear for international eyewear company, Bbase. With exciting projects in place for the years ahead. For Fashion Show review, please visit ITC YouTube Channel or click here.

Quinn Cheng recipient of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarship

Congratulations go to Quinn Cheng Chau-hung, a Year 2 BA student who is majoring in Design, who has received the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) Scholarship funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust (the Trust). Quinn will receive a scholarship of up to HK$110,200. The scholarship will cover her tuition fees, part of the academic expenses and living costs for a maximum of four years. The Trust aims to identify and nurture outstanding talents to become compassionate leaders who will create positive change and inspire the wider society to strive for excellence. Since 1998, some HK$500 million have been committed to the HKJC Scholarships, supporting more than 750 young talents to pursue their studies. There are four selection criteria: Intellect: academic achievements, analytical aptitude and appetite; genuine interest in their subject of study; imagination, curiosity, and global vision. Leadership: Outstanding leadership and team work inside or outside school activities, personal accomplishments or community commitments, potential, and capabilities in challenging status quo; embrace diversity and a spirit of collaboration. Character: Strength of character – truth, courage, devotion to duty, empathy, social awareness, commitment to fairness and justice, compassion. Commitment to service: Commitment to betterment of others, care for social and community issues of public rather than personal benefit; connect with Hong Kong and has a view about its community needs may be addressed. Quinn will participate in events hosted by the Trust including JC Scholars Welcome Day, JC Scholars Induction Programme, The Scholarship Presentation Ceremony, and JC Scholars Retreat.

PolyU Knitwear Design 2021

The e-brochure of PolyU Knitwear Design 2021 is available now! This book showcases the final collections of knitwear design students from Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. All these collections, reflecting the uniqueness and passion of design, are the combined efforts of a group of yarn suppliers, knitwear producers, the teaching team and students. Throughout the years, we keep facing different kinds of challenges, like continuous waves. However, with strong determination we survive in the end. Having overcome all difficulties, our knitwear graduates will be more sophisticated and become a ‘new wave’ in the industry. Click here to download the e-brochure!

UPDATES: Polyu Fashion Show 2021

ITC compiles graduates’ collections into a brochure for the annual PolyU Fashion Show every year. We produced an e-brochure for “PolyU Fashion Show 2021” this year, which recorded the collections of 30 finalists. We are pleased to share the e-brochure with you to appreciate and support the creative designs of the finalists. Happy Viewing.

ITC research projects funded $21M from ITF and GRF

16 ITC projects have been funded a total of $21M from the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) and General Research Fund (GRF). These projects are diversed in different areas and range from electronic fabric and textiles, yarns, 3D printing, medical clothing, and more.   The funded research projects have demonstrated the strong research capabilities of the ITC staff members and their commitment to the well-being of the community. Congratulations to the successful recipients of the funding. The funded research projects are listed below. ITF Project Title  Project-in-charge  Trial: Innovation of Highly Efficient Far Infrared Functional Textiles  Dr Li Li  AI-assisted Personal Training Gear to Monitor and Enhance Exercise Performance  Dr Joanne YIP  Development of High Value-added Vortex Yarns and Fabrics with Enhanced Flame-resistance and Comfort  Dr Tao HUA  Development of Flexible Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (FSERS) System for Food Safety Detection  Prof. Kinor JIANG  Cellulosic 3D Printing Flexible Material for Apparel  Prof. Chi Wai KAN  Development of an Automatic Measuring System for Vertical Wicking  Prof. Chi Wai KAN  Surgical Mask with Unidirectional Moisture Transport Property  Prof. Zijian ZHENG   GRF Project Title Project-in-charge Hierarchically Buckled Surface Engineering of Textile Substrates with Stretchable Porous Microarchitectures Prof. Bingang XU Study of electronically controllable fabric handle simulator for online applications Prof. Xiao-ming TAO Design and Modeling of Electricity-Regulated Wicking Fabric for Personal Moisture Management Dr Dahua SHOU A Study of Self-Powered Electronic Textiles Enabled by Addictive Functionalization and Embroidery Manufacturing Dr Qiyao HUANG An Investigation of the Thermodynamics, Mechanisms, and Adsorption Phenomena Related to the Application of Reactive Dyes to Cellulosic Fibres in Reverse Micellar Dyeing System Prof. Chi Wai KAN Ergonomic Leggings with Twisted Actuation Yarns for Improving Compression Therapy Dr Bin FEI Study of Molecular Scale Active Graphdiyne based Ionic Polymer Actuators Prof. Wei CHEN  Locking in International Buyer-Supplier Relationships: Evidence from the US-China Trade War Dr Di FAN

Dr Dahua Shou receives support for “Development of Soft Robotic Clothing for Adaptive Thermal Management”

Dr Dahua Shou is the most recent recipient of research support from the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) via The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles (HKRITA) for his project. It involves the development of soft robotic clothing for adaptive thermal management. The ITF which is administered by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC), aims to increase the added value, productivity, and competitiveness in innovation and technology. Personal thermal management is critical for the comfort and performance of human beings, especially for those who stay in varying thermal conditions. However, there are issues with wearing a conventional coat because the garment has a constant thermal resistance, which may fail to meet thermal requirements with changes in climate. For example, there is a large temperature difference between the different times of the day when the weather is changing from sunny to cloudy, or between morning and afternoon, or with indoor and outdoor environments. Therefore, thermoregulation of the body can be quite challenging. Moreover, excessive heat from highly active activities can often cause discomfort to wearers. For instance, the dramatically increased metabolic rate from resting to walking, which is 75 and 174 W/m2, respectively, will cause wearers to suffer from heat stress and heavy sweating even in the cold during the winter. The after-chill effect caused by wet clothing after sweating can be harmful and even fatal to human health. Maintaining a comfortable body temperature is one of the most basic human needs, but a substantial amount of energy is consumed to maintain a constant ambient temperature. Heating and cooling needs account for over 50% of building energy used, but the US Department of Energy projects a 9% -18% energy cost reduction when the thermostat is turned down 10 - 20°F. Therefore, thermal management clothing that maintains thermal comfort whilst adapting to an increased range of ambient temperature is highly desirable. Dr Shou’s project intends to design and develop thermally adaptive clothing to maintain the body temperature of the wearer for comfort and performance under various thermal environments, by optimally regulating the clothing microclimate based on a novel soft robotic technology. Realising a thermal adaptive function within the same item of clothing is not only an exciting scientific challenge but also a significant technological advancement.

Congratulations Jordi: Newest Executive Assistant @ Louis Vuitton

Over the past decades, the flagship programme of the Institute of Textiles and Clothing (ITC), the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles, has nurtured nearly three hundred young fashion talents to support the fashion and textile industry in Hong Kong, Mainland China and internationally. Recently, one of our graduating students, Jordi Wu King-ho, has been hired as Executive Assistant to the Private Client Director (North Asia) of Louis Vuitton. Jordi explained that “It took me three months to land this role for which I’m beyond grateful. This pandemic during our academic year has been without a doubt a huge obstacle in job hunting. I must say it’s my determination and sheer fortune that kept me going as I faced the LV Management Trainee interview to working as an event docent and eventually now I am in this incredible role." Indeed, Jordi is well-equipped for this challenging position thanks to the undergraduate programme. "I have been so blessed to have the opportunity to work in a jewellery event within a week after being hired. I was able to fully utilise what I had learnt at ITC during my four years, especially using knowledge from the subject "Business Development of Luxury Accessories and Lifestyle Products" which was taught by Dr Chloe Ki. I used storytelling strategies and explained how designers highlight the brand elements from the heritage of trunk making into jewel designs.

Staff retirement

After many years of dedicated service, Dr Patrick Hui and Dr Roger Ng will retired in November 2021. They are currently on the pre-retirement leave. Dr Patrick Hui. Associate Professor, gained his Higher Diploma in Textile Technology from the Hong Kong Polytechnic in 1984, an MSc in Technological Economics from the University of Stirling, UK in 1988, an MSc in Information Systems from the Hong Kong Polytechnic in 1992, an MSc(Eng.) in Computers in Manufacturing from the University of Hong Kong in 1995, a PhD from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 1999, and a LLB (Hons) from the University of Wolverhampton, UK in 2004. He is a Chartered Engineer. He also holds professional diplomas in marketing, finance and accounting, and is a chartered member of both the British Computer Society and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Dr Hui joined ITC as Lecturer in 1993. In 2012, Dr Hui was promoted to Associate Professor and was responsible for teaching computing subjects at both the degree and sub-degree levels, and his research interests are IT law, e-commerce, information systems and the application of intelligent computing in textile and clothing industries. He has published over 100 refereed journal papers and conference papers. Dr Roger Ng, Senior Teaching Fellow, graduated with BSc in Applied Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology in the USA, and PhD in Clothing Studies from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He also completed a MA in Philosophy and a MA in Fine Arts from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.  In 2014, Dr Ng received his Fellowship of Hong Kong Institution of Textiles and Apparel, followed by the Fellowship of Textile Institute in 2018. For the past 35 years, Dr Ng has been actively serving the industry in various capacity, including Honorary Chairman of the Chinese Textile Mills Association, Past Vice Chairman of Hong Kong Textile Council, Past Convener of Employees Retraining Board (Apparel Products and Textiles Industry Committee), Past Convener, World Skill Competition Hong Kong (Apparel Industry), Past Chairman, The Occupational Safety & Health Council (Import Export and Wholesale Retail Trade Safety and Health Committee). His teaching specialties include aesthetics and theory of fashion design; and garment pattern design. ITC wishes them all the best and thank them for their service.

Psy Lau shortlisted at Redress Design Award 2021

BA year 3 student, Psy Lau, who is majoring in fashion design, is shortlisted for , which is the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition. Psy’s collection is titled ‘A.D.H.D.’, and inspired by her personal experience of suffering from attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She hopes that the collection will remind people to love themselves and not discriminate others even if they are a bit different. The collection also hints at fashion sustainability. Psy feels that “Nowadays, people love to buy clothes without thinking and buying second-hand clothes can be a menial task”. Therefore, she ensured that her collection has zero-waste, and uses upcycling and reconstruction techniques, putting together second-hand clothing, knitwear and suits, industry surplus, damaged textiles and yarns in a textured contrasting palette of yellow and black. Also, Psy emphasizes environmentally friendly materials in her collection. Wool and cotton are used to represent the strength of those with ADHD because like these natural fibres, individuals with ADHD are incredibly strong and resilient. Second-hand suits, clothing samples and damaged textiles and swatches are widely used to cater to the upcycling concept in her collection. In addition to the use of renewable materials, Psy applies reconstruction techniques by combining knitwear and suits. Natural dye from plant-roots is used to impart colour. About the Redress Design Award The Redress Design Award is a competition that is used to educate emerging fashion designers around the world about sustainable design theories and techniques to drive a circular fashion system. This year, ten finalists from Taiwan, the United States, Mainland China, the United Kingdom, Germany, India and Hong Kong are shortlisted for the grand finale on 11 September 2021 in Hong Kong, where the winners will be announced. International judges include: Orsola de Castro, Fashion Designer, Global Creative Director and Co-founder, Fashion Revolution Desiree Au, Founding Publisher of Vogue Hong Kong Angus Tsui, Creative Director, ANGUS TSUI and alumnus, Redress Design Award Cecilie Throrsmark, CEO, Copenhagen Fashion Week Mahmoud Salahy, Vice President and Managing Director, Timberland APAC Sean Cady, Vice President, Global Sustainability, Responsibility and Trade, VF Corporation Jeannie Renne- Malone, Vice President, Global Sustainability, VF Corporation Christophe Degoix, Chief Operating Officer, TAL Apparel Ltd.