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Opinion | Why Hong Kong should resuscitate its garment industry
- Its role as a trendsetter of sustainable fashion, with superior R&D capabilities in textiles and apparel, and good networks in East Asia, are all competitive advantages the city would be foolish not to leverage
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Sustainability, technology and innovation are key to building a smart city. While these buzzwords appeared in Hong Kong’s latest policy address, the new initiatives were mostly concentrated in a limited number of areas, such as fintech, biotech and ecosystem integration in the Greater Bay Area.
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There seems to be a lack of due consideration of their application in upgrading Hong Kong’s traditional industries. One such industry is textiles and apparel. As we navigate out of the pandemic, we should rethink the future of this industry, which once epitomised the city’s economic rise.
Hong Kong should leverage its role as a trendsetter of sustainable fashion, its research and development capabilities, and its networks in East Asia.
While what was once the most important sector in Hong Kong’s manufacturing industry now constitutes only a tiny percentage of the city’s GDP, let’s not forget it still has strong potential to become a brand builder in the region.
The city is known for both its high-quality products and high-end R&D capabilities. Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Institute of Textiles and Clothing, for example, is ranked at the top globally for its research performance and impact on industry.
And at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva 2021, the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel won seven medals, including a “gold medal with congratulations of the jury” and two gold medals for its environmentally sustainable inventions.
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