Art and Design Commons^™

Making Herself Up

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

In 2004, Kahlo's handmade jewellery and clothing based on traditional Latin American designs were discovered inside The Blue House.

This year, personal effects of Frida Kahlo, one of the world's great humanists and artists, are on display for the first time ever outside of Mexico

Character Building

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

In a stage production, something as simple as the silhouette of a character's costume can communicate to the audience in a way that words simply cannot. HKDI's Higher Diploma in Costume Design for Performance programme leader Mr. CY Cheung and Ms. Mandy Tam explain the secrets of the trade to SIGNED

Designs For The Future

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

SIGNED magazine catches up with the five winners to discuss their inspiration behind their entries.

Venus In Knitwear

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

In September, Keith Kwok Kin Ming -- 2017 HKDI Higher Diploma in Fashion Design graduate from the Department of Fashion and Image Design -- was named overall champion at the 7th Hong Kong Young Knitwear Designer's Contest. His collection Transition of Venus takes its name from the extremely rare phenomenon...

In Praise Of Silk

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

Silk, a natural material that was first used in China around 6000 years ago, still outperforms even the most high-tech artificial fibres and continues to be considered the epitome of style and luxury. A recent exhibition at HKDI's d-mart explored this wonder material

A Rei Of Light

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

Enigmatic fashion designer Rei Kawakubo's spring exhibition at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is set to become the talk of the fashion world

Fashion: The New Breed: Three Hkdi Alumni Who Are Making Waves On The Style Scene

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

Fashion moves at the speed of light in Hong Kong. A coat or dress can be the hottest thing to own on one day and then become extremely unpopular the next. But these three Hong Kong Design Institute alumni, who all graduated with a degree in fashion design, have each used their unique visions to stay above the quickly changing trends and to stand out in our fashion scene...

Tailor Made

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

Aesthetics and practicality make fine dancing partners at the HKDI's Department of Fashion and Image Design, where Liz McLafferty encourages students to explore the boundaries between the inperatives of art and the needs of society.

Jean Genie

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

Koyo William is now an internationally recognised fashion designer with his own label, but his story began at the HKDI, where he first understood the power of creativity and jeans that fit in all the right places.

Phoenix Rising

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

The Miao people of Central China have a rich tradition of handmade costumes that have inspired baute couture designers at Dior and Chanel, but despite the work's beauty their culture is under threat. To help support the survival of their heritage the fashion department at the HKDI has developed a range of internationally acclaimed projects that are taking the Miao's creativity to the world stage.

Material Innovation

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

Science and design have never been closer, with innovative textiles and other materials changing the way we think about garments and fashion.

Keeping In Fashion

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

The Fashion Archive at Hong Kong Design Institute is a treasure trove of historical and significant pieces. We explore the huge collection and discover how it's helping to launch new careers.

Far From Useless

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

Ma Ke, China's most celebrated fashion designer, has been creating haute couture for her brand, Wuyong, for nearly a decade. She speaks to Tom Pattinson at her Beijing studio.

A Fitting Tribute, Eunice Tsang

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

We explore the history of the qipao, and how this iconic dress has come to represent so much

Caring For Creativity

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

From August to October this year fashion retailer Joyce showcased four new designer brands selected by HKDI. The pop-up boutique project at PMQ was called "Talent Shop" and aimed to provide young designers with a concrete business platform to showcase their work.

Distance Learning

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

The Travelling Fashionistas arrived in Hong Kong this summer to present their novel approach to design education, based on a mixture of international awareness and a hands-on approach to tools and materials

East Meets West

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

A unique fashion shoot involving young designers from Hong Kong and Belgium took place at HKDI in February. Linda Van Waesberge directed the shoot and shared her insights into the contemporary fashion industry with Daisy Zhong.

Alien Resurrections

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

Angus Tsui burst on to the fashion scene, if you'll excuse the metaphor, with his striking Xenomorph graduation collection. He's now in the forefront of eco-friendly fashion design, recycling the bits that other designers discard into bold new creations that are impossible to ignore.

Symbolic Style

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

The tide of fashion ebbs and flows but designers from Belgium have a knack of creating work that is both timeless and innovative, as revealed in Dress Code, a compelling new exhibition of Belgian fashion curated by Charles Kaisin and the Hong Kong Deisgn Institute.

Haute Architecture

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

Hong Kong's favourite couturier Barney Cheng spent part of his summer working with HKDI's students to create high fashion for the city's most prestigious racing event. He talked to Daisy Zhong about the insights he acquired from his young colleagues.

The Dragon Stirs

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

Mao JiHong is leading the charge of new Chinese designers with his emphasis on handmade craftsmanship and Asian inspired creativity. He spoke to Diasy Zhong about the rebirth of luxury manufactuing in China and the consequences for European fashion brands who have relied on easy profits in the east for too long.

Global Warning

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

Italian fashion legend Romeo Gigli came to Hong Kong this spring to launch his latest collection at JOYCE and he spoke exclusively to SIGNED magazine's Daisy Zhong about how the fashion world is in danger of losing its diversity.

Moving Up

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

The HKDI is on course to become a pioneer in environmentally conscious design by embedding the concept of sustainability into fashion at the start of the creative process.

Winds Of Change

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

When the HKDI's annual Fashion Show and Image Show took place on two sultry nights in June, graduates from the Department of Fashion and Image Design (FID) blew a typhoon of fresh ideas across a packed audience, as they presented a series of spectacular collections on Design Boulevard. But as Daisy Zhong and Lisa Li report the extravagant shapes on display have a practical role to play in securing a future for some of Hong Kong's most talented designers.