[News from Institutions]
Hong Kong Design Institute Unveils 100% Recyclable Booth at DesignInspire 2025
From construction to display – demonstrating circular design in the exhibition industry

The Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) returns to DesignInspire, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, from today to 6 December 2025, transforming sustainability from concept to reality. In partnership with local eco-material brand Senkoo, HKDI constructs its entire booth using a 100% recyclable high-performance paperboard called “En-board” and decorative fabrics made from recycled PET (Rpet).

Across four themed zones, the booth will feature outstanding student works, highlighting the creativity and forward-thinking mindset of a new generation of design talent equipped with circular design principles, global vision, and practical industry skills.

Designed jointly by the teachers from the Design for Event, Exhibition and Performance programme, the booth’s structure uses traditional tongue-and-groove joints — with no glue, screws, or overlapping waste — reducing secondary pollution. After the exhibition, every piece can be dismantled and recycled into new boards, achieving genuine zero-waste and eliminating the need for landfill disposal.

Inspired by the iconic architectural lines of the HKDI campus, the booth features purple and green as its dominant colours, symbolising the boundless creativity of young designers and their commitment to circular design.

Nurturing All-Round Design Talent through Cutting-Edge Concepts

HKDI not only leads the way in practising circular design but also emphasises integrating creativity, technology, and culture while building strong industry connections to cultivate versatile designers.

Earlier this year, the Department of Architecture, Interior and Product Design signed long-term collaboration agreements with legendary Italian furniture design brands Alessi and Moroso, giving HKDI students world-class practical opportunities. On display are student prototypes supported by these brands, including Home & Co. and Buildable Sofa, demonstrating uncompromising attention to material quality and detail.

Guided by contemporary insights, HKDI’s curriculum blends pop culture with creative expression. Among the highlights are the Department of Communication Design student-created art toys, such as a series paying tribute to Bruce LEE and his iconic opponents, which vividly showcase the narrative power and IP creativity of the next generation of designers.

Always attuned to industry trends, HKDI actively brings cutting-edge technology into the campus. The Department of Digital Media will showcase a state-of-the-art LED wall using virtual production techniques to recreate classic Hong Kong theme parks from the 1950s and 1960s, offering visitors an immersive journey through time.

While keeping pace with innovation, HKDI is also reinterpreting traditional culture in fresh ways, making design a medium for cultural inheritance and renewal. The Department of Fashion and Image Design zone presents multiple award-winning pieces that fuse traditional craftsmanship with AI, including NUCLEAR ABYSS, which raises awareness of marine pollution, alongside other works reflecting young designers’ environmental concerns.

Representatives from Senkoo also engaged in an in-depth session at the booth with 60 students from the Higher Diploma in Design for Event, Exhibition and Performance, sharing insights into the development and application of local eco-materials, practical strategies for circular design, and global demands in exhibition design. The session encourages students to master professional circular design skills in advance and seamlessly bridge the learning from courses with real-world industry practice. 
 
From Campus to Industry – HKDI Students and Projects Earn Professional Recognition

The Hong Kong Design Centre will also exhibit winning works from the 2025 DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Awards (YDTA) at DesignInspire, with HKDI once again emerging as the biggest winner.

•    TSUI Fei, a Higher Diploma in Fashion Design graduate focused on sustainable fashion, won the CreateSmart Young Design Talent Special Award with his knitwear piece, Armor.
•    Vincent CHEUNG, another Higher Diploma in Fashion Design graduate, explores contemporary expressions of local cultural elements and traditional crafts and received the HKDI Young Design Talent Award for CHAMPION5**.
•    Jenny LAM, Jenny, also a Higher Diploma in Fashion Design graduate, focuses on environmental awareness and was awarded a Young Design Talent Special Mention Award for Doomsday Survival, incorporating the temperature-controlled vest Project Kontemp — HKDI’s recent Red Dot Design “Best of the Best” winner, recognised by one of the world’s most respected international design awards.

Four HKDI alumni – Roy CHAN; CHAN Ka-chun; Kinson LAW; and Owen LO – also received the CreateSmart Young Design Talent Award and CreateSmart Young Design Talent Special Award respectively.

HKDI recently secured two international honours at the 2025 DFA Design for Asia Awards:
•    Tonight with the Impressionists, Paris 1874 – An Immersive Expedition in Virtual Reality, created in collaboration with Excurio, GEDEON Experiences, and Musée d’Orsay in France, won Gold Award.
•    Motifx, which reinterprets traditional Chinese patterns into contemporary lifestyle aesthetics, received a Merit Award.

Dr Elita LAM, Principal of HKDI & Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Lee Wai Lee), said: “We hope HKDI’s booth at DesignInspire will serve not only as a platform to showcase outstanding student work, but also as a live classroom for circular design. From a single sheet of paperboard to the entire spatial experience, and from student creations to international accolades, HKDI is dedicated to nurturing all-round design talent who possess circular design thinking, global vision, and practical capabilities, thereby helping position Hong Kong as Asia’s design hub.”

About Hong Kong Design Institute 

Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) is a member of VTC Group. HKDI was established in 2007 with the mission to be a leading provider of design education and lifelong learning, including architecture, interior and product design, communication design, digital media and fashion and image design. With a view to providing professional designers for the creative industries, it promotes the “think and do” approach and encourages interdisciplinary synergy in its broad range of design programmes that cultivate students’ cultural sensitivities and sense of sustainability. HKDI maintains a strong network 
with industry and provides its students with essential practical experience. Overseas exchanges are actively arranged for students to broaden their horizon and international perspective.
Website: http://www.hkdi.edu.hk

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