HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 26 August 2026 – Redress, the Asia-focused environmental NGO dedicated to reducing clothing's negative environmental impacts since 2007, is calling on consumers worldwide to vote online for their favourite Finalist in the Redress Design Award 2026, the world's leading sustainable fashion design competition. Voting for the People's Choice Award is open until 31 August 2026, with the winner to be announced at the Grand Final Fashion Show in Hong Kong on 2 September.
From textile waste to runway: Redress design award 2026 opens public vote for the next generation of sustainable fashion designers
The Finalists' collections showcase innovative approaches to tackling textile waste, transforming discarded leather offcuts, secondhand hardware and industrial waste through reconstruction and upcycling techniques, while exploring next-generation materials such as biodegradable fruit leather and ethical non-livestock wool to reimagine raw materials for circular fashion.
Organised by Redress and supported by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as Lead Sponsor, the Redress Design Award invites the public to discover the tactile beauty of circular fashion through its latest photoshoot and cast their votes to champion sustainable fashion while empowering the next generation of circular design talents.
The photoshoot: sensory storytelling
Photographed by acclaimed Hong Kong creative Paul Sunga with hair by Davines and makeup by MakeupBees, the photoshoot celebrates the creative decisions behind each Finalist's collection, highlighting the unique textures, craftsmanship and natural imperfections of their materials while underscoring why design matters: 80% of a garment's environmental impact is determined at the design stage[1].
"The Finalists of the Redress Design Award are proving that thoughtful design can transform textile waste into something beautiful. Getting up close to these garments, you see how every material choice, texture and technique tells a story, reminding us that the biggest opportunity to reduce fashion's environmental impact begins at the design stage. I can't wait for people to discover these collections through the photoshoot and vote for their favourite," says photoshoot photographer Paul Sunga.
The Finalists' collections are transported from overseas to Hong Kong for the photoshoot and upcoming Grand Final using DHL Express' GoGreen Plus service. This service helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a Book & Claim mechanism, where the environmental attributes of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) are allocated to participating shipments. Made from alternative raw materials with a lower-emission energy profile, such as used cooking oil, waste and hydrogen, SAF can reduce the air transport shipments' lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by around 80 percent compared with conventional jet fuel.
Find out who wins at the grand final show
The People's Choice Award winner will be announced at the Redress Design Award 2026 Grand Final Fashion Show, along with the coveted first prize including a week-long trip to the UK to connect with leading voices in sustainable fashion through a visit to Simple Approach's Manchester operations to gain insight into responsible fashion design, development, and manufacturing, and an intensive experience with the team at luxury womenswear brand Roksanda to work on an upcycling design project.
The Redress Design Award 2026 Grand Final Fashion Show is open to an exclusive in-person audience and will be livestreamed globally on 2 September 2026 (Wednesday), at 5pm HKT / 11am CET via Facebook and WeChat. Save the date here.
Alumni showcase at centrestage open to public
Redress will also present a total of six Redress Alumni brands as part of both the Grand Final Fashion Show, and at a showcase of Alumni brands at CENTRESTAGE in Hong Kong from 2–5 September 2026 (Wednesday–Saturday, 11am–7pm) supported by DHL. Industry professionals and the public alike are all welcome to come, meet designers, and see up close their sustainable, waste-reducing collections.
The Redress Design Award 2026 Photoshoot Credits
- Photographer: Paul Sunga
- Models: Pak Yan Wong (Self Management Hong Kong), Max Holmström (Primo Management Ltd)
- Creative Stylist: Matthieu Amelin
- Hair: Henry Tse for Davines
- Make-up: Cindy Lai for MakeupBees
- Production: Katt Bidegain, Charly Cheung, Nancy Liu
- Studio: Soho House Hong Kong
- Lighting: Ming Suet
- BTS videographer: Jimmy Yu
- BTS photographer: Nicky Chan
Hashtag: #Redress
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Redress
Redress (www.redress.com.hk) is a Hong Kong-based, Asia-focused environmental NGO with a mission to accelerate the change to a circular fashion industry by educating and empowering designers and consumers so as to reduce clothing's negative environmental impacts.
The Redress Design Award
Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA)
Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organisers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.
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HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 26 August 2026 – Hosted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and title sponsored by Bank of China (Hong Kong) (BOCHK), the PolyU x BOCHK International Future Challenge (Hong Kong Regional Final) concluded earlier (24 August) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Featured on the main stage during the Global Unicorn Summit (the Summit), organised by the Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group, 18 top Challenge startup teams, selected from over 300 entries, showcased their strengths competing for various awards and the top four spots which advance to the Grand Final. Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, PolyU President, meanwhile delivered a keynote speech at the Summit themed "How University Research Empowers Industrial Innovation". He elaborated on the mission and characteristics of university research, and shared PolyU's successful experience in driving research translation through the establishment of Mainland Translational Research Institutes.
VIP guests, members of the judging panel, and winning teams pose for a group photo on stage.
Following its title sponsorship of the inaugural PolyU x BOCHK International Future Challenge Grand Final, BOCHK demonstrated its continued support this year as the title sponsor for both the Hong Kong Regional Final and the Grand Final of the PolyU International Future Challenge (PolyU IFC) 2026, joining hands with PolyU to nurture young innovation and technology (I&T) talents and drive high-quality development in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The Hong Kong Regional Final focused on five cutting-edge fields: Life Sciences and Healthcare, Advanced Manufacturing and Microelectronics, Digital Economy and Financial Technology, Smart City and Green Living, as well as Aerospace and Aviation Technology. The Hong Kong region competition generated an enthusiastic response, fully demonstrating Hong Kong's vitality and appeal as an international I&T hub. The 18 shortlisted teams made on-site pitches and exhibited at the exhibition zone of the Summit, presenting their innovations to visitors, investors, and industry leaders.
Prof. Zijian ZHENG, PolyU Vice President (Knowledge Transfer), remarked, "With Hong Kong serving as a super-connector, PolyU IFC 2026 successfully builds a cross-regional platform that closely connects the Chinese Mainland, the Middle East and beyond, creating unprecedented opportunities for global innovation and collaboration. We are delighted to see 18 outstanding startup teams showcase their innovative solutions. These projects are a testament to the vision, perseverance and collaborative spirit that define the PolyU mission as an innovative world-class university. PolyU's unique startup ecosystem, PolyVentures, boasts over 900 active startups, including unicorns and listed companies. We look forward to today's teams leveraging this platform to step onto a broader entrepreneurial stage."
The Hon Ken LEE, Advisor to BOCHK and Legislative Council Member, stated in the speech, "BOCHK is pleased to once again support PolyU's flagship innovation competition, joining hands to build a supportive ecosystem that nurtures innovation and technology talent. By accelerating the practical application of innovative ideas and research achievements, this initiative aligns closely with national strategies and HKSAR Government policies, supporting Hong Kong's development into an international innovation and technology hub."
Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation), Prof. Cheng DONG, PolyU Associate Vice President (Knowledge Transfer) and Mr Marston WONG, Deputy General Manager of Commercial Banking Departmentof BOCHK presented the top four awards. Following rigorous evaluation by the judging panel and on-site voting, 11 winning teams were selected. The top four teams from the Hong Kong Regional Final advance to the Grand Final held in Hong Kong in January next year, to compete with winners from other regions for the highest honours.
The winning teams from the Hong Kong Regional Final are as follows:
| Award | Team/Company | Project | Cash Prize |
| BOCHK Diamond Cup | CobotAI Limited | TeleX: Industrial Embodied Multi-Modal Data Intelligent Collection Terminal and Skill Platform | HK$120,000 |
| Gold Award | LI Shuai
CHENG Lok Kan SUN Yu
LEE Ka Sing
SONG Zhen
HU Zengbo | Novel BCI Interaction Technology Based on Multi-dimensional Sonomyography (SMG) Signals | HK$75,000 |
| Silver Award | AniMed Technology Limited | OptiFi Sleep | HK$50,000 |
| Bronze Award | Motomics Limited | MotusAI — Physics-Aware Biomechanical Agent for Musculoskeletal Disorder Assessment | HK$25,000 |
| Best Student Team Award | LIO Kun Hon
CHEN Tak Hei
KUONG Ka I
CHAN Kuan Ieong
CHAN Cheng Tong KARUMANCHI Abhishikth | PulmoSight | HK$25,000 |
| Best Presentation Award | OnAn Technology Service Limited Company | OnAn Technology | HK$5,000 |
| Best Presentation Award | Visorx Technology Limited | Visor™ RECURE DEVICE | HK$5,000 |
| Best Innovation Award | LI Shuai
CHENG Lok Kan SUN Yu
LEE Ka Sing
SONG Zhen
HU Zengbo | Novel BCI Interaction Technology Based on Multi-dimensional Sonomyography (SMG) Signals | HK$5,000 |
| Best Innovation Award | Easenory Technology Limited | World-Leading Elastic Textile PCB | HK$5,000 |
| Most Popular Award | Bondcare Tech (Hong Kong) Limited | Bondcare-Canxiao Intelligent State-based Clinical Care | HK$5,000 |
| Most Popular Award | Stairio Limited | Stairio | HK$5,000 |
As the University's flagship innovation and entrepreneurship competition, PolyU IFC is strategically aligned with the Nation's 15th Five-Year Plan and "Artificial Intelligence (AI)+" initiative. This year, an overseas region was introduced for the first time, meaning the inclusion of nine competition regions in total: Hong Kong, Qianhai, Wuhan, Nanjing, Jinjiang, Hefei, Hangzhou, Wuxi and Saudi Arabia. Leveraging the crossborder network of the PolyU Mainland Translational Research Institutes and in collaboration with local government authorities and leading enterprises, the Challenge focuses on "AI+" to foster precise alignment between research projects and regional industrial resources.
To date, over 1,400 competition applications have been received from across the nine competition regions. Registration for the Jinjiang, Hefei, Hangzhou and Wuxi regions is currently open. For further details, please visit the official PolyU IFC website.
Hashtag: #PolyU #BOCHK #GlobalUnicornSummit
https://www.polyu.edu.hk
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
** This press release is distributed by Media OutReach Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
