5:15 p.m., Feb. 4, 2008--The University of Delaware's Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies and Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have entered into an agreement to establish student and faculty exchange and collaborate on research programs. Through the agreement, each institution will send two students to the other for up to one academic year, as well as exchange researchers, arrange short-term collaborative visits, and jointly organize conferences and other research programs and agendas that they have in common.

Two students from Hong Kong, Chung Hoi-kei and Chan Wai-ping, will study on UD's Newark campus this spring, and Cody Higgins, a UD junior fashion merchandising major from Bayport, N.Y., is currently taking classes at PolyU.

“Hong Kong and China are of critical importance to the apparel industry,” said Marsha Dickson, chairperson of fashion and apparel studies. “More than 25 percent of the clothing Americans buy is imported from China, often through intermediary agents and buying offices located in Hong Kong.

“Providing students with the opportunity to experience the culture and industry in advance of graduation provides them a distinctive credential that will benefit their future careers. For those who are unable to take a semester abroad in Hong Kong, they have the benefit of meeting the students from PolyU who are on campus at UD,” Dickson said.

Kit Yick, assistant professor and departmental student exchange officer in the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at PolyU, said: “We're very glad to establish a student exchange program with UD. The student exchange program provides a precious opportunity for students from UD and PolyU to experience other cultures and learn to appreciate their differences. For students, the exchange is beneficial in terms of students' language skills, as well as personal growth and competitiveness, for their future career development.”

Peter Liu, chairperson of the textiles division of the Hong Kong/ American Chamber of Commerce and director of Peninsula Knitters in Hong Kong, said the exchange agreement will benefit from Hong Kong's role as the epicenter of apparel sourcing and the U.S. as a major consumer market for apparel.

“Bringing practitioners--students and faculty--from both sides of the Pacific Ocean together will help nurture a collaborative spirit, resulting in a more cost-effective and efficient supply chain,” said Liu, who also serves as a member of the advisory board for UD's Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies.

Article by Martin Mbugua
Photo courtesy Jaehee Jung