Hong Kong Designers �Think Global� in Tokyo

4-day Exchange Tour Inspires Twelve Young Designers
and�

Strengthens Hong Kong’s Position as Asia’s Creative
Hub

 

TOKYO, JAPAN - Media OutReach - 2
November 2018 - The third Design Exchange Tour (DeX Tour) organised by
Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) was successfully held from 30 October to 2
November 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. Following the success of the tour in Bangkok and
Melbourne earlier this year, twelve emerging Hong Kong designers were selected
to join a 4-day inspiration trip packed with cultural exchange activities and
study visits to Tokyo’s well-known design studios and projects. The trip
culminated with an exhibition of the designers’ works at Think Global, Think
Hong Kong (TGTHK), a mega promotion campaign hosted by the Hong Kong Trade
Development Council.

 

Sponsored by Create Hong Kong
and organised by HKDC, the DeX Tour aims to reinforce HKDC’s mission of
establishing Hong Kong as a creative hub of design excellence in Asia, through
expanding the global vision of young local designers and cultivating their
aspirations for producing designs with international impact. Two DeX Tours have
been successfully held in the first half of 2018 in Bangkok and Melbourne, which
opened up cross-regional dialogue among the young generation of designers in the
two cities.

 

“Hong Kong is a dynamic
metropolitan where designers are always looking to explore new markets such as
mainland China and the rest of the world,” said Prof. Eric Yim, JP, Chairman of
HKDC. “The twelve designers at DeX Tokyo represent a sliver of the vibrant
spectrum of the design force in Hong Kong who, when provided with the right
exposure and networking opportunities, have enormous potential to produce
designs with a broader regional or international impact.”

 

Like preceding DeX Tours in
Bangkok and Melbourne, DeX Japan hopes to position Hong Kong as one of Asia’s
most dynamic and liveable creative hubs. The delegation comprises up-and-coming
designers from various design disciplines selected among winners of the DFA
Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award (DFA HKYDTA), and incubatees of the Design
Incubation Programme (DIP) and Fashion Incubation Programme (FIP) organised by
HKDC. The designers visited creative studios in Tokyo and learned about notable
design projects, such as visiting the acclaimed teamLab studio and GK Design
Group, attending the open house of Yohji Yamamoto’s new SS19 collection, and
touring the Daikanyama T-SITE with world-renowned architects Mark Dytham of
Klein & Dytham architecture. They also learned from the visit to winning
projects at the Good Design Awards Exhibition, to name a few highlights.

 

The designers joining DeX
Japan also had the opportunity to present their creative designs during a
session in TGTHK themed “Design & Liveability”, where five professional
designers from Hong Kong and Japan shared how a human-centred design approach
can offer insights for building empathy and fostering collaborative synergy,
thus boosting innovation and business opportunities for today’s designers. Key
speakers at the thematic session include Kay Kwok (Founder, KAYKWOK); Stanley
Wong (Founder/ Creative Director, 84000 Communications Limited); Eisuke
Tachikawa (Director and Founder, NOSIGNER); Joey Ho (Design Partner, P A L
Design Group); and Prof. Eric Yim (Chairman, Hong Kong Design Centre), with Dr.
Edmund Lee (Executive Director, Hong Kong Design Centre) as the moderator for the
session.

 

The twelve Hong Kong designers
who participated in DeX Japan include Chan Hei Shing (Hei Shing Book Design);
Woody Chau (NEVER-NEVER); Ken Hui (AIR Concepts); Soilworm
Lai (STICKYLINE); June Kimberly Lau (Novel Fineries); Tak Lee (Tak Lee); Comma
Leung (mosi mosi); Prudence Mak (Chocolate Rain); Baldwin PUI (hoiming &
Fungus Workshop); Mandy Tsang (eMotionLAB); Angus Tsui (ANGUS TSUI) and Yeung
Chin (Yeung Chin).

 

Please download the press
photos at:

http://www.hkdc.hk/download/awards/DeX-Japan_photos.zip

 

About Hong Kong Design Centre

https://www.hkdesigncentre.org/

Hong
Kong Design Centre (HKDC) was founded in 2001 as a strategic partner of the
HKSAR Government in establishing Hong Kong as centre of design excellence in
Asia. HKDC continues its public mission to promote wider and strategic use of
design and design thinking to create business value and improve societal
well-being. Our initiatives are anchored by five major work directions:
CONNECT, CELEBRATE, NURTURE, ADVANCE and ENGAGE.

 

HKDC’s
flagship programmes include Business of Design Week (since 2002) — Asia’s
leading annual conference and event on Design, Innovation and Brands; DFA
Awards (since 2003) — a widely recognised design awards that celebrates
outstanding designs with Asian perspectives; Design Incubation Programme (since
2012) and Fashion Incubation Programme (since 2016) — 2-year incubation programmes
to nurture future design and fashion entrepreneurs; FASHION ASIA HONGKONG
(since 2016) — a fashion initiative combining conversations, interactions and
cultural exchanges to energise the city’s image, and position it as an Asian
hub for fashion trade and business development; Knowledge of Design Week (since
2006) — an annual thematic design knowledge sharing platform that explores how
design can solve complex challenges of our society.