Fashion & Sustainability – A Turning Point for Hong Kong’s Next Generation

At the end of June, just before school holidays began, I had the incredible opportunity to host a fashion and sustainability seminar for students at Shau Kei Wan East Government Secondary School. As a second-generation garment manufacturer, founder of Anthora Collection and host of The Conscious Cut podcast, this was particularly special—we brought together Redress, alumni, and local designers for presentations and panels. Today, I'm sharing key insights from my talk about transforming our industry.

The fashion industry stands at a crossroads. With natural resources depleting, even luxury brands like Chanel are innovating—their Nevold initiative transforms deadstock into new materials, proving waste can be valuable. But change starts with the basics: material choices. Every fabric has trade-offs; designers must weigh durability, recyclability, production ethics, and cost. 

Tencel scores high for sustainability but comes at a premium price, while conventional cotton—despite its water-intensive process—remains the most common natural material with better recyclability. Even polyester, despite its bad reputation, proves indispensable for performance wear like swimwear, down jackets and camping gear due to its unmatched durability and weather resistance.

The production floor reveals another layer of complexity. Through photos, I showed the contrast between fast fashion's massive production lines—where automation dictates pace and often results in loose threads and unfinished seams—versus boutique production where artisan sewers double as quality controllers, catching flaws before pieces move forward. While AI threatens to replace unskilled workers in mass production, true craftsmanship remains irreplaceable.

Our current linear system—from sourcing to landfill—remains fragmented across specialized businesses. Without shared sustainability goals between material producers, designers and manufacturers, circularity remains out of reach. We must consider a garment's entire lifecycle: Who will reuse it? Can it be recycled? Or is landfill its inevitable fate?

Government policies are driving change in the EU, from banning greenwashing claims to restricting fast fashion advertising. Hong Kong must accelerate its own sustainability regulations to hold businesses accountable. 

The students' engaged questions and innovative ideas proved Hong Kong's next generation of designers is ready to lead this transformation. Their passion gives me hope for fashion's future.

#SustainableFashion #CircularDesign #MaterialInnovation

*(Presentation slides [Fashion & Sustainability.pdf] available upon request.)*  

時尚與可持續發展——香港新一代的轉折點

六月底學校假期前，我有幸為筲箕灣東官立中學熱愛時裝的學生主持了一場關於時尚與可持續發展的講座。作為第二代製衣商、Anthora Collection創辦人兼《The Conscious Cut》播客主持人，這次活動別具意義——我們齊聚Redress、校友及本地設計師進行分享與討論。今天，我想與大家分享我講座部分的精要內容，聚焦行業亟需變革的關鍵機會。

時尚產業正處於轉折點。隨著自然資源日益枯竭，連香奈兒這樣的奢侈品牌也開始創新——其Nevold計劃將庫存面料轉化為新材料，證明廢料也能創造價值。但變革須從根本開始：材料選擇。每種面料都有其利弊，設計師必須權衡耐用性、可回收性、生產道德與成本。

天絲(Tencel)在可持續性方面得分高但價格昂貴；傳統棉布雖耗水卻是最常見的天然材料且更易回收；就連飽受批評的聚酯纖維，在泳衣、羽絨外套和露營帳篷等戶外用品中仍不可替代，因其卓越的耐用性和防護性能。

生產線的對比同樣發人深省。通過照片，我展示了快時尚大型生產線——自動化控制節奏卻常導致線頭鬆脫和縫線粗糙——與精品製作的差異。後者由工匠兼任質檢員，確保只有合格產品才能進入下一工序。當AI逐漸取代大批量生產中的低技能崗位時，真正的手工藝依然無可替代。

目前「採購→設計→生產→銷售→堆填」的線性模式被割裂在不同企業間。若材料生產者、設計師和製造商沒有共同的可持續目標，循環經濟就難以實現。我們必須思考服裝的終局：誰會再利用它？能否被回收？還是最終逃不過填埋的命運？

歐盟已通過禁止漂綠廣告和快時尚宣傳等政策引領變革，香港亟需跟上步伐，通過法規讓企業負起環保責任。

學生們充滿洞察力的提問和創新想法證明，香港新一代設計師已準備好引領這場變革。他們的熱情讓我對時尚的未來充滿希望。

#永續時尚 #循環設計 #材料創新

（如需講座簡報《Fashion & Sustainability.pdf》請隨時聯繫）