The first-ever ‘GBA Creative Night’ commences on November 28

Local design organisations showcase diverse strengths and capabilities to build Greater Bay Area exchange platform to foster business opportunities for the design industry Exhibition at the HKDC Design & Fashion Base will run for seven days with free public entry during November 29 to December 4, 2023

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 1 December 2023 – Organised by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) and with the steer and support from Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) as the Lead Sponsor, the first-ever ‘GBA Creative Night’ officially launched on November 28. ‘GBA Creative Night’ kicked off a series of activities aimed at establishing the HKDC Design and Fashion Base as a design and fashion hub and platform for industry exchange within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to stimulate business opportunities. The event brought together various associations in the Hong Kong design industry, including Hong Kong Designers Association, Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association, The Hong Kong Exporters’ Association, Hong Kong Furniture and Decoration Trade Association, Industrial Designers Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Animation & Cultural Association, and Fashion Farm Foundation which, together with the selected projects of HKDC, showcased exceptional creative achievements and diverse design capabilities the city can offer.

Officiated by Mr Kevin YEUNG Yun Hung, GBS, JP, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, the launching ceremony drew almost 400 industry leaders and guests from Hong Kong and other cities in the Greater Bay Area. Other esteemed guests included the Honorable Mr Kenneth FOK Kai Kong, JP, Legislative Council member; the Honorable Mr Vincent CHENG WingShun, MH, JP, Legislative Council member; Mr Joe WONG Chi Cho, JP, Permanent Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism; Mrs Vicki KWOK WONG Wing Ki, JP, Deputy Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism; Mr Victor TSANG Chiu Hok, Head of CreateHK; Mr Paul WONG Yan Yin, JP, District Officer, Sham Shui Po District Office, Home Affairs Department; Mr ZHANG Weiping, co-founder of ‘Guangzhou Design Week’; Professor CAO Xue, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (Head of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics mascot ‘Bing Dwen Dwen’ design team); Mr XU Ting, Deputy Secretary-General of Shenzhen Cultural Creative & Design Association; Ms FENG Changhong, President of Shenzhen Industrial Design Industry Association; Mr ZHOU Xiaoliang, President of Macau Designers Association; Mr WU Chi Kit, Executive Director of Macao Chinese Cultural Industries Promotion Association; Mr LEONG U Pou Executive Director of Macao Chinese Cultural Industries Promotion Association; Ms ZHENG Siyi, Vice President and Secretary- General of Qianhai Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce and many more who have offered valuable insights and exchanged ideas in a dynamic environment. ‘GBA Creative Night’ will be open to the public for free from November 29 until December 4. Visitors can explore various design-related exhibitions (For more details, please refer to the attached schedule).

Mr Kevin YEUNG Yun Hung, GBS, JP, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, remarked that ‘The National 14th Five-Year Plan supports Hong Kong to develop into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. We are excited to announce and promote the Blueprint for Arts and Culture and Creative Industries Development, which aims to enhance the ecosystem for the industries. We will also inject funds into the CreateSmart Initiative to assist the creative industries in expanding new markets. I believe that the development of the Greater Bay Area will create endless opportunities for Hong Kong’s creative industries, and tonight’s GBA Creative Night marks an excellent start. HKSAR Government is committed to nurturing design talents for Hong Kong’s creative industries. We hope the Design & Fashion Base will become a place for nurturing emerging design talents and fashion designers, facilitating idea exchange , and enabling them to showcase the strength and competitiveness of Hong Kong’s new generation of fashion design.’

The event is hosted in the new premises of the HKDC Design and Fashion Base, where HKDC is expected to relocate in around the third quarter of 2024. Traditionally known as a retail hub for apparel and textiles, Sham Shui Po is a vibrant area rich in local character that is apt for fostering synergies between industries. The ‘GBA Creative Night’ event paves the way for HKDC’s transition to Sham Shui Po next year, kickstarting collaborative opportunities and the promotion of the design and creative industries within the Greater Bay Area.

Showcasing local design excellence to broaden business opportunities

The launching ceremony also featured key highlight exhibition ‘Design Spectrum ：Re: Full Gamut’. The exhibition celebrates the extensive collaborations and relationships among designers from different disciplines throughout the fashion design process. Featuring over 40 exhibits from Hong Kong and other cities in the Greater Bay Area, the exhibition takes the public on a creative journey through emerging and aspiring designers. Additionally, the DFA Design Awards exhibition presents selected winners and their awarded projects from over
20 years. Its awardees apply various design forms, integrating technology, functionality, and aesthetics to create influential design works that provide solutions to different aspects of human life, environment, culture, sustainable development and revitalisation. Both exhibitions are presented by HKDC.

Following the launching ceremony, the ‘InterVision Fashion Flow 2023’ show, presented by Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association, showcased the artistry of 30 fashion designers hailing from across the Greater Bay Area. A stunning showcase of 180 meticulously crafted ensembles graced the runway and exhibition where the fusion of innovative technologies and fashion created a captivating experience, fostering an exchange of inspiration. Additionally, the DesignMatch event held by Hong Kong Designers Association exclusively on November 28 facilitated more than 180 one-on-one business matching meetings, further connecting businesses with the design industry to promote cooperation and exchange.

The launch of the ‘GBA Creative Night’ also marks the beginning of a series of exciting activities. These include the ‘Hong Kong Smart Design Award’ by The Hong Kong Exporters’ Association, showcasing the power of Hong Kong’s original designs; the ‘Lifestyle Laboratory’ by Hong Kong Furniture & Decoration Trade Association, presenting an exhibition of furniture designs that demonstrates Hong Kong’s cultural allure and design creativity; the ‘ReMIX . Yesterday’s Future, Invent Tomorrow Creative Business Partnership Programme’ by Hong Kong Industrial Designers Association, highlighting the way to connect and enhance business collaborations between local professional designers and quality brands; and the ‘ Art • Toys • SSP’ by Hong Kong Animation & Cultural Association, featuring over 80 distinctive original art toys installations by Hong Kong designers to promote art toy culture. The successful organisation of ‘GBA Creative Night’ also relied on the support of different organisations, including our Official 5G Partner – Hutchison Telecommunications (Hong Kong) Limited and our Strategic Business Partners – TLive.

Professor Eric Yim, MH, JP, Chairman of the Hong Kong Design Centre, stated that ‘The ‘GBA Creative Night’ will be an excellent opportunity for Hong Kong’s design industry to connect with peers and the business community in other cities of the Greater Bay Area. It will fully initiate potential collaborative opportunities and promote the development of the design and creative industries across the region, while also preparing for the move of HKDC to Sham Shui Po next year. In the future, HKDC will further enhance its role as a creative anchor in Hong Kong. In line with the forthcoming ‘Blueprint for the Development of the Cultural and Creative Industries’ by the Hong Kong SAR Government, we are committed to driving the development of the cultural and creative industries and enabling Hong Kong to develop into an East-meets-West Centre for International Cultural Exchange.’

Newly established Design and Fashion Base amplifies Shum Shui Po’s textile legacy

BODW City Programme is the ‘beyond the main stage’ Hong Kong design festival of Business of Design Week (BODW) Summit organised by HKDC with CreateHK as the Lead Sponsor. In collaboration with ‘One Bite Design Studio’, the ‘Sham Shui Po Treasures and Craftsmanship’ project is launched from November 25 to December 3 which explores the potential of redesigning unused public spaces. This includes the installation of colourful inflatable structures under the Tung Chau Street Flyover (opposite HKDC Design & Fashion Base), symbolising Sham Shui Po’s vibrant cultural diversity and creative ecosystem. Visitors to the ‘GBA Creative Night’ can also explore these installations and discover Sham Shui Po’s design treasures.

Sham Shui Po is traditionally known as a hub for retail and wholesale of fabric and fashion, combining creativity, craftsmanship, and grassroots wisdom. The HKSAR Government announced the implementation of the Sham Shui Po Design and Fashion Base Project in early 2018, reserving a five-story commercial section with an area of 3,600 square meters for redevelopment by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA). HKDC is responsible for operations, while CreateHK plays the role of strategy formulation, co-ordination and supervision. HKDC’s new location in Sham Shui Po will leverage the district’s unique characteristics, integrating design, fashion, garment manufacturing, and retail to create new synergies. It is poised to become a focal point for design and fashion in Hong Kong, a gathering place for the industry. Together with the city’s first design museum, it aims to become a tourist attraction that will stimulate tourism in the district.

Design and Fashion Base as Hong Kong’s creative nexus and industry connection platform

As the Hong Kong SAR Government’s strategic partner, HKDC strives to harness Hong Kong’s unique blend of Eastern and Western cultures to promote local design to both the domestic and global markets to create value for industry, and continuously transform Hong Kong into a cultural centre for artistic exchange between the East and West. Through various flagship events and projects, HKDC aims to strengthen connections between local businesses and the design industry and leverage the power of design to strengthen business competitiveness. With the relocation to Sham Shui Po in 2024, HKDC will become a hub for creative exchange with an aim to foster the development of Hong Kong’s cultural exchange and creative industries, nurture emerging designers, fashion designers, and startups, and drive regional economic growth and tourism development. The‘GBA Creative Night’ marks a new beginning for mutual exchange and connection among various design industries, creativity, and commerce in the Greater Bay Area.

Hashtag: #HKDC #GBA

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About Hong Kong Design Centre

The Hong Kong Design Centre, registered in 2001 and established in 2002, is a non-governmental organisation that serves as a strategic partner of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Its aim is to promote Hong Kong as an internationally renowned design hub in Asia. Our public mission is to broadly and strategically encourage the use of design and design thinking in society, creating value for the industry and improving social welfare.

(Website: www.hkdesigncentre.org)

About ‘Create Hong Kong’

‘Create Hong Kong’ is a dedicated office set upby the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Regionin June 2009 to spearhead the development of creative industries in Hong Kong. From July 1, 2022 onwards, it is under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and cross-genre collaboration, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community. ‘Create Hong Kong’ sponsors the Hong Kong Design Centre in organising different projects to promote Hong Kong design.

(Website: www.createhk.gov.hk)

Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the activities/projects of the participating organisations in the GBA Creative Night only, and does not otherwise take part in such funded activities/projects. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in the relevant materials/events (or by members of the project teams) are those of the participating organisations only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and Create Hong Kong.