Grand design for taking fashion to the future

Ayra Wang

The School of Fashion and Textiles at Hong Kong Polytechnic University aims to redefine global fashion with technology, sustainability and entrepreneurship, its dean Erin Cho said.

Cho, who grew up in Seoul and studied in the United States, was appointed dean at the fashion school in 2022 when PolyU turned its 65-year-old Institute of Textiles and Clothing into an independent institution.

In an exclusive interview with The Standard, Cho said she has been working to elevate the school's exposure to the global community, emphasizing its potential to lead the future development of the fashion industry.

"With the emergence of new tools such as artificial intelligence, the traditional core ability of designers has to be expanded to be relevant," she said.

"The future direction for fashion I've identified is technology, sustainability and entrepreneurship."

Cho said the school has been incorporating science and technology into fashion, including research on innovation and expanded industry engagement.

The school ranked No 7 this year in textile science and engineering in Shanghai's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, which focuses on academic publications of certain subjects. It is a big leap from its 25th position last year.

The school's fashion show last year was attended by about 1,000 people and attracted over a million viewers online. It also held its first graduate fashion show for master's students at Shenzhen Fashion Week in October, attracting nearly 450 spectators.

Cho said the school has also enhanced collaboration with industries, such as building translation research centers in mainland China and joining competitions with different fashion brands.

The school will host the Global Marketing Conference next year, attracting marketing scholars from all over the world.

"I want the global community to know that SFT is leading the way in terms of addressing how fashion education should incorporate technology and how sustainability can be achieved tangibly through interdisciplinary approaches involving science, design and market demand," Cho said.

She also said Hong Kong has the potential to grow into an East-meets-West fashion hub by leveraging its unique position as a cultural bridge between Asian and Western countries. "Hong Kong has a longer history of cultural integration and is an English-speaking developed city compared to other cities promoting fashion in the region," Cho said.

The growing market in the mainland also has given fashion practitioners in Hong Kong a lot of opportunities."China is updating the process, infusing technology, sustainability, upgrading production methods by utilizing robotics, automation and AI so that they can better predict the demand," Cho said.

She said the school is educating students to develop a market-driven mindset, entrepreneurship and diverse perspectives as well as seek more opportunities beyond the local markets such as the Greater Bay Area.

"Fashion is not just about idea and design; it communicates culture, reflects social issues and expresses personal values," Cho said."The Asian fashion industry has an equal motivation and intention and even more ability to address critical things compared to Western countries."

ayra.wang@singtaonewscorp.com