“Spinning Transformation” Showpiece Designed by The Future Maker Award 2023 Winners
About the Project
At The Mills Fabrica, we are passionate about inspiring the next generation of sustainable innovators. The Future Maker Award, proudly presented by The Mills Fabrica, embodies our commitment to recognizing and empowering emerging talents who are shaping the future of the textile industry.
Exceptional students from esteemed local fashion institutions, including The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI), and The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi), are handpicked to receive the Future Maker Award. Last year, five awardees collaborated to create a captivating and unique showpiece.
Design Concept Inspired by The Mills
Drawing inspiration from the attire of former Nan Fung Textiles workers and the architectural elements of The Mills, this remarkable piece symbolizes the evolution of both The Mills and the textile industry, paying homage to the workers in the industry of old Hong Kong.
The Application of Sustainable Materials & Technologies Supported by Industry Partners
With the invaluable support of our industry partners, students have had the incredible opportunity to apply sustainable materials and cutting-edge technologies. While textile sustainability has been extensively studied and discussed among students, it is often not easy for them to gain hands-on experience using sustainable fabrics and industrial-level technologies to bring their ideas to life and apply their academic knowledge.
We are grateful for the invaluable contributions of our industrial partners who played an important role in the success of our project. Students are able to utilize Advanced Denim's sustainable denim fabric, even weave their own fabric piece from Lenzing's TENCEL™ Modal yarns. Moreover, Jeanologia provided training and service with their cutting-edge laser engraving technology, which facilitated the creation of an intricate and captivating pattern at the back of the jacket. The collaborative efforts of these visionary partners truly elevated the outcome of our project.
Weaving the Past into the Future of Techstyle
The integration of sustainable materials and technologies, with the support of industry partners, exemplifies techstyle innovation. By manifesting The Mills' heritage through sustainable innovations and techniques, the piece beautifully blends the past and future of the textile industry.
The bomber jacket at its core represents the identity and belonging of textile workers, as seen in an interview video with former Nan Fung Textiles employees displayed at CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile). Its laser-engraved back design highlights the empowerment of textile workers in old Hong Kong. The apron, a symbol of the former mill workers’ uniform, is ingeniously transformed into a stylish and practical bag. The entire outfit features a timeless silhouette, emphasizing its enduring appeal.
Through this project, The Mills Fabrica engages with talented local youth, providing unique opportunities to explore sustainability and innovation in our techstyle ecosystem. Learn more about the Future Maker Award and join us on a journey that combines history, youth empowerment, and creativity.
"Spinning Transformation" is currently on display at The Mills Fabrica Impact Retail Store for public appreciation, as part of the Denim Futures campaign. Visit our store to experience this statement piece firsthand before July 2024!
Awardees & Designers
Burnaby Tam | Graffiti Art
My design was inspired by street graffiti culture, and I used a graffiti font called “Throw-up.” By making this font into dolls, the flat surfaces that were originally spray-painted on walls are now presented in a 3D way on clothing. In addition, strong colors and a mix of various fabrics are used to bring a rich sense of layering. This series creates a playful, interesting, and rebellious effect to interpret my own graffiti art.
Awarded Year: 2023
Studied At Hong Kong Design Institute
Higher Diploma in Fashion Design
FYP: GRAFFITI ART
Daphne Cheng | The Last Piece of Natural Plants
It is the imagination of the future. It aims to awaken the awareness of people in the modern concrete forest, urging them to treasure and pay attention to the natural plants around us. If people lose natural plants, they stand to lose incalculable things like meaning, spirit, creativity, and transcendence in human experience. This fashion collection shows the close relationship between human beings and natural plants, conveying the message that people need to treasure them.
Awarded Year: 2023
Studied At The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Scheme in Fashion & Textiles
FYP: The Last Piece of Natural Plants
Matthew Chan | Fast Fashion “Love to twist on the classics”
When fashion is integrated into our lives, it also brings along a lot of pollution to our environment. The textile industry is the world’s second-largest polluting industry following the oil industry, and environmental protection has become a contemporary issue for fashion designers. My design was inspired by biohazard and architecture, a sense of the structure. I try to use different eco-friendly and sustainable fashions to combine with futuristic ideology. To create a garment that is full of vitality and fantasy, the concepts of anti-gravity and surrealism also served as the sources of my inspiration.
Awarded Year: 2023
Studied At Hong Kong Design Institute Higher Diploma in Fashion Design
FYP: Fast Fashion “Love to twist on the classics”
Quinn Cheng | What do you see first?
What do you see first?” is inspired by the relationship between the psychological test and our subconscious mind. Illusion images are commonly used in psychological tests to reveal our true selves since our subconscious interpretation of ambiguous stimuli reveals a lot about our mental state, personality, emotions, and inner conflicts.
In this collection, the fabrics are woven from a mix of low-twist merino wool and elastic yarns, creating the ultra-soft and 3-D visual effect of knitwear so that the colours and shapes change along with the wearer’s movements.
Awarded Year: 2023
Studied At The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Scheme in Fashion & Textiles
FYP: What do you see first?
Summer Yiu | Desire
Desires are subjective. They can give impetus to human society. Conversely, they can also baffle the evolution of human society. Humans often fight like animals, which think solely about themselves. Technology has evolved far more quickly than our brains, and we have stopped thinking about what we truly need.
Humans tend to think that desires have no physical weight, and therefore have no awareness of their own desires. Denim has become a symbol of modern society, and I have used the effects of distressing and the weight of the fabric to embody desire, allowing people to feel the sensation of being twisted and destroyed by desire when wearing the denim.
Awarded Year: 2023
Studied At Hong Kong Design Institute Higher Diploma in Fashion Design
FYP: Desire
About Our Supporting Partners
Advance Denim | Materials Partners
Advance Denim was one of the first denim mills established in Shunde, China in 1987, producing regenerative or organic denim blended fabrics. They reduce chemical use, conserve water with indigo dyeing, and treat wastewater to lower the environmental impact of denim manufacturing.
Lenzing Group | Materials Partners
TENCEL™ is Lenzing Group’s flagship brand of responsibly produced wood-based cellulosic fibers. TENCEL™ Modal fiber is a sought-after material that has enhanced sustainable offerings in the cotton-rich denim industry. Their latest technology incorporates indigo pigment into modal fibers using a one-step spun-dyeing process versus three standard textile dyeing methods.
Jeanologia | Finishing Partner
Jeanologia, founded in 1994, provides a range of technologies and digital solutions that aim to make the textile industry more eco-efficient, sustainable, and automated from fabric to finish. Laser technology achieves whiskering to bleaching effects by burning away the surface of the denim.
