THE FUTURE OF TECHSTYLE

Summer 2019

Since moving into The Mills late last year, The Mills Fabrica has been hosting a variety of competitions, symposiums, seminars and conferences in partnership with different organizations to discuss the future of the techstyle industry. We have also been organizing workshops on techstyle product development at our own “Fabrica Lab”. Meanwhile, the experiential store “Techstyle X” officially opened in April to showcase innovative products by techstyle startups.

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00

Techstyle for Social Good International Competition

Cultivate Future Design Talents

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The Mills Fabrica co-presented the very first “Techstyle for Social Good” competition, calling out to students innovating for social good globally.

The competition aims to raise awareness of techstyle designs, create a platform for supporting techstyle innovations, inspire social impact in the creative industry and nurture innovative talents through incubation.

01

Winners of Techstyle For Social Good International Competition

12 finalists from design schools around the world were selected to present their innovative ideas in front of the judges. 5 winners were announced at the grand final who share prizes worth over HKD 680,000 offered by The Mills Fabrica, including cash prizes, enrolment onto the incubation program, mentorship sessions, Fabrica Lab membership and access to the community of startups, partners and industry events. All finalists’ works are now showcasing at The Mills until August 31st, and the second leg of the exhibition will be held at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University from September 9th to October 9th.

02
The Mills Fabrica × H&M Foundation Global Change Award

Incubating Entrepreneurs in Sustainable Fashion

With a mission to connect stakeholders globally, The Mills Fabrica has been building a solid techstyle ecosystem that provides priceless support to techstyle entrepreneurs. Earlier this year, The Mills Fabrica announced its partnership with H&M Foundation Global Change Award (GCA), to join forces in helping some of the world’s most promising entrepreneurs who are developing innovations for a more sustainable world.

03
Interview with Erik Bang

The Path to Sustainable Development for Startups

H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award and The Mills Fabrica are collaborating to incubate innovative startups as well as establish a sustainable environment and society for future generations. As the Innovation Lead at H&M Foundation, Erik Bang analyzes the influences of sustainable development on the fashion industry, and how startups and innovative technology can get involved in the fashion industry.

04
The 2030 Goal

Startups Take on the Responsibility of Sustainability

Everyone agrees that businesses bear a social responsibility to contribute to sustainable development, but what can they do exactly? In 2015, the United Nations devised the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, providing a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. Targeting 17 areas such as poverty, economy, health, education, human rights and environment, these goals are an urgent call for action. Here we list out 10 of the goals that are closely related to techstyle startups. These illustrate how the innovation industry can play a major role in sustainable development beyond business.

05
Fabrica’s Incubation Program

Constructing a Successful Platform for Startups

Dedicated to promoting techstyle innovation and helping startups succeed, The Mills Fabrica incubation program focuses on three main areas: materials and supply chain innovation, wearables and products merging technology and style, and new retail experiences. So far, a total of 15 companies have participated in the incubation program. Some, such as Goxip and Origami Labs, are already demonstrating outstanding performance in the market, and three new startups, TG3D Studio, Green Is The New Black, and MOTIF, have been welcomed to join. We have high hopes for our new members!

06

Techstyle Futures in Hong Kong And London Envisaging

Tomorrow’s Innovations and Designs

Following the success of its first Techstyle Futures symposium held in November last year, Fabrica hosted the second edition in Hong Kong in May and made its debut in London in June. The symposium convened speakers from startups, corporates, academic and research institutes to foster conversation between stakeholders and envision the future of techstyle innovation and design. In the coming year, The Mills Fabrica will look to continue to co-host and organize similar community events for the industry and public with various partners.

07
Industry 4.0 in The Intelligence Era

A Digital Revolution in Supply Chain

As the traditional supply chain model becomes gradually replaced by innovative solutions, The Mills Fabrica actively propels materials and supply chain innovation as one of its key areas. In the era of Industry 4.0, how will technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and robotics affect the techstyle industry? How would they revolutionize supply chain operations? Here we present some insights to entrepreneurs who are looking to develop in related areas.

08

The Prediction of Future Trends in The Techstyle Industry from Wsgn Experts

Technology is advancing at a tremendous speed. As a result, techstyle startup founders must be aware of current market trends to develop a promising business. For this reason, we invited Helen Palmer, the Head of Materials, Textiles and Knit at WGSN to predict trends in Industry 4.0 and smart materials for readers, and to discuss the relationship between innovation and sustainability development.

09

12 Rising Techstyle Startups Around the World

The techstyle industry is flourishing worldwide. In addition to the startups in Fabrica’s incubation programme, there are many other innovative businesses in the global techstyle ecosystem worthy of attention. These companies break from industry norms to introduce entirely new experiences to business partners and customers.