HKRITA's Open Lab launches inaugural “Open Lab Global Challenge”
The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) is excited to announce the launch of the first-ever Open Lab Global Challenge. With its commitment to revolutionizing the textile and fashion industry through sustainable innovation while nurturing young innovators, this international competition inspires creative solutions for key textile sustainability concerns and promotes circularity in the sector.
The Challenge invites university-level and high school students (age 15 or above) worldwide to “design for circularity” in textiles and apparel. It aims to raise awareness of sustainability and encourage the principles of circularity within the fashion industry as a contribution to a more sustainable future.
Individuals or teams of up to four participants must submit a presentation illustrating their innovative ideas for a new product and/or business concept that embodies one or more of the circularity factors: durability, reusability, repairability, and recyclability. The submissions will be evaluated based on four key aspects, namely, originality and creativity of the idea or design, considerations of environmental and social impact, alignment with circularity factors, and technical feasibility / potential user experience.
Open Lab is a pioneering initiative by The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) and H&M Foundation. It is an innovative hub for the textile and fashion industry to address climate change. By demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of circular production, it can inspire and encourage the industry to adopt similar practices, thereby maximizing the impact on climate change mitigation.
