Designing a fashion capital

Widely recognized as a shopping paradise, Hong Kong hosts nearly every global fashion brand, showcasing their best and latest designs. But prosperity on the commercial side alone is not enough to justify the title of fashion capital. To live up to that moniker, a platform that nurtures future designers is vital, fashion educators say.


The Savannah College of Art and Design is the only university in Hong Kong focusing exclusively on art and design education. This autumn, the university rolled out four fashion-related programs bachelor of fine arts in fashion and in fashion marketing and management, as well as two masters programs in luxury and fashion management.

The launch of SCADs fashion degree programs will energize Hong Kongs development as Asias fashion capital, and further enrich our contribution to the citys cultural and creative industries, said SCAD Hong Kong vice president John Paul Rowan.

The new fashion programs will also add to Hong Kongs appeal as Asias international education hub. A number of SCAD fashion students in the United States have already enrolled to study in Hong Kong.

The US-based university currently has campuses in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, as well as Lacoste, France.

Its Hong Kong campus was opened in 2010, housed in the historic North Kowloon Magistracy building entrusted by the Development Bureau for conservation and revitalization.

Grant Preisser, associate vice president for SCAD Hong Kong, believes Asias booming fashion industry calls for more local design talent, and the SAR is the definite choice to set up such a platform.

Hong Kong used to be focused on material sourcing and manufacturing, he said. However, as the city is waking up to creativity, so as to maintain brands and market share, the cultivation of local designers is just the logical next step.

Textiles have always formed a pillar industry in Hong Kong. In the 1960s and 1970s thanks to low labor costs textile factories mushroomed. In the 1980s, the number of factories and workers employed in clothing manufacturing peaked, hitting 10,000 and 300,000, respectively.

Since then, with the rising cost of local labor and opening up of the mainland, many Hong Kong manufacturers moved their factories north across the border in order to stay competitive.

According to a report by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, there were only 766 manufacturing establishments in the territory employing 5,787 workers as at last December.

In line with the global landscape and fierce competition, Hong Kongs textile industry has been moving up the value chain, catering to demand for upmarket products with original designs or brands.

Today, the local industry is mainly but not solely focused on higher value- added activities such as sales and marketing, quality control, and design and development, while offshore plants handle the production.

Against this backdrop, Preisser pointed out the SAR enjoys two major advantages that make it attractive to fashion talent. First is its established network and experience in material sourcing, and second, its relationship with the mainland, which not only serves as the manufacturing base, but is also growing into a huge market for upscale fashion products.

SCAD Hong Kong now has 330 students, including 120 freshmen. Students come from different countries and they inspire each other in discussions and interaction, Preisser said.

Since mentorship is a crucial element, SCAD brings award-winning designers to share experiences with students on building fashion education into rewarding creative careers.

This year, the university invited American designer Mimi Plange to work with students. Plange, born in Ghana and raised in Southern California, was honored with the International Emerging Designer of the Year award by Africa Fashion International in 2011.

Her luxury designs have been worn by style icons including Michelle Obama, Princess Astrid of Belgium, and singers Rihanna and Alicia Keys.

Plange encouraged Hong Kong designers to find inspiration here and share that with the rest of the world. Find something lost, and bring it back to life again, she urged.