Dezeen School Shows: a costume design informed by both video games and a classic children's book is included in Dezeen's latest school show by students at Hong Kong Design Institute.

Also included is an installation that explores a speculative future where nature has been polluted by plastic and a collection of garments that celebrate both womanhood and Filipino culture.

Hong Kong Design Institute

Institution: Hong Kong Design Institute
Courses: Higher Diploma in Fashion Design, Higher Diploma in Fashion Media Design, Higher Diploma in Fashion Image Design, Higher Diploma in Costume Design for Performance, Higher Diploma in Visual Arts and Culture, Higher Diploma in Advertising Design and Higher Diploma in Illustration
Tutors: Joanne Lau, Travis Li, Stephen Parke, Cassidy Dung, Cary Tang, Chow Kar Hoo, Kineta Cheung, Carolyn So, Terence Luk, Polly Lau, Gabbie Choi, Kaman Tsang, Vincent Lee, Eddie Lau and Ken Wong

School statement:

"Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI), as one of the member institutions under the VTC Group, is one of the most influential design institutions in Hong Kong.

"It provides high-quality education to cultivate knowledge and professionalism, nurturing design talents to support Hong Kong's creative industry development.

"With years of experience in design education, HKDI brings together the strengths of its design departments – Architecture, Interior and Product Design, Communication Design, Digital Media and Fashion and Image Design – to provide over 20 full-time design programmes, preparing students for work-readiness with socially conscious solutions to meet the demand of the 21st century workplace."

Plants Invade Humans by Brianna Wing Yi Lau

"As time flies, the future earth becomes a gradually polluted, bleak planet, where creatures cannot live freely in the air.

"In nature, plants are the earliest creatures born. They have accumulated a lot of wisdom through long-term evolution and have gradually evolved into 'higher-order' beings with changes over the generations.

"Plants began to fight back against humans. By invading the human body, humans were assimilated by plants leading to an evolution.

"With their convergence and alignment, they brought peace, saved the environment, and coexisted with other species."

Student: Brianna Wing Yi Lau
Course: Higher Diploma in Fashion Design
Tutor: Joanne Lau
Email: briannalauwing2[at]gmail.com

A Collaborative Graduation Project with Swarovski by Oi Lam Fan, Chun Chung Law and Ming Him To

"This is a collaborative project with the international jewellery brand Swarovski.

"The project outcomes include a series of fashion images, a film and a social media strategy.

"Stepping into a mesmerising world where the classic tale of Alice in Wonderland intertwines with futuristic elements, the project pushes the boundaries of imagination and transports audiences to a realm where anything is possible."

Students: Oi Lam Fan, Chun Chung Law and Ming Him To
Course: Higher Diploma in Fashion Media Design
Tutor: Stephen Parke
Email: venusinspace008[at]gmail.com

The Beauty of Monster by Lai Ying Wong and Man Ling Cheung

"The fashion piece is inspired by the film Human Form and satirises the current obsession with cosmetic surgery and modern beauty standards.

"The design combines bandages to represent cosmetic surgery and a leather bodysuit to imitate human skin.

"Exaggerated proportions are used to express a sense of discordance, while the addition of breast implants further emphasises the absurdity of modern beauty standards.

"The overall concept is to critique the societal pressure on women to conform to unrealistic beauty standards and the negative effects of cosmetic surgery on their bodies."

Students: Lai Ying Wong and Man Ling Cheung
Course: Higher Diploma in Fashion Image Design
Tutors: Cassidy Dung, Cary Tang, Chow Kar Hoo, Kineta Cheung, Carolyn So and Terence Luk
Emails: wonglaiyingbobo[at]gmail.com and abcchety[at]gmail.com

Polymer Invasion by Man Ling Lau

"Wrapping tree roots with plastic bottles creates an image of trees being devoured, wrapped and invaded.

"It also showcases my fantasies about the future environment, where all trees have gone extinct, and only the last complete tree is wrapped in plastic."

Student: Man Ling Lau
Course: Higher Diploma in Visual Arts and Culture
Tutors: Kaman Tsang and Vincent Lee
Email: mathildalau1013[at]gmail.com

Ad Tuesday by Tsz Ching Leung

"The project aims to study the emotional expression and perception of advertising slogans and copywriting that permeate the public, and to organise their timeline to reflect the profound impact of advertising on the cultural, economic and brand communication development in Hong Kong.

"This was an exhibition organised by the Communication Design Research Centre of Hong Kong Design Institute, as an extension of the '101 Advertising Slogan Study' project."

Student: Tsz Ching Leung
Course: Higher Diploma in Advertising Design
Tutor: Eddie Lau
Email: Isabellaleung10[at]yahoo.com.hk

MetaDI by Sum Yi Li

"This is the first pilot Metaverse project at HKDI.

"16 students teamed up from the Department of Communication Design and worked on the project from ideation to the final solution.

"The outcome is a digital game experience which allows the public to play and experience during the graduation show 'Emerging Design Talents'.

"The concept of this game is based on creating a virtual campus that is split into two themes – past and future – where players will see different dramatic designs of HKDI's Knowledge Centres.

"Players can learn more design knowledge through playing the game."

Student: Sum Yi Li
Course: Higher Diploma in Illustration
Tutor: Ken Wong
Email: lisumyii1130[at]gmail.com

Maharlika by John Marcus Banday Mase

"The maharlika fashion collection draws inspiration from the song Feel Special by Twice, and is influenced by three key elements that make the designer feel special: Filipino culture, womanhood and painting.

"The theme of the collection revolves around the idea of making women feel royal and powerful through cultural representation, a feminist point of view and formality.

"The collection draws inspiration from the iconic Filipino national garment called 'Filipiniana' and aims to address gender-based flaws in the oppressive system while pushing for equality between men and women.

"The mission of the maharlika collection is to empower women by making them feel like the blooming flowers they are and to fight for women to dismantle oppressive systems on a global scale.

"Through this collection, the designer hopes to create a fashion statement that not only celebrates Filipino culture and womanhood but also inspires a sense of pride and belonging in the wearers."

Student: John Marcus Banday Mase
Course: Higher Diploma in Fashion Design
Tutor: Travis Li
Email: johnmarcuscollections[at]gmail.com

Queen but not Queen by Ah Sin Yeung

"The transitions between scenes in Alice in Wonderland and the confusion and vagaries of the characters in the story lead to a dream-like quality.

"This jumpy, illogical and unrealistic pattern reminds me not only of a dream but also of the virtual world of video games.

"The work began as a children's book and has since been enjoyed by readers of all ages.

"If applied to the modern digital generation, would the mode of entertainment remain a book or would it take on other forms?

"It would be interesting if all characters are indeed online game players, who are allowed to pick any role in the story freely."

Student: Ah Sin Yeung
Course: Higher Diploma in Costume Design for Performance
Tutors: Polly Lau and Gabbie Choi
Email: saffronyeungas[at]gmail.com

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and Hong Kong Design Institute. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.