On May 21, the opening ceremony of the 23rd International Fashion Forum of Shanghai International Fashion Cultural Festival & 16th Greater Donghua Fashion Week was held at Donghua University (hereinafter referred to as DHU). As a brand item of Shanghai International Fashion Cultural Festival, the event this year is themed with “2017 Fashion Shanghai” and consists of four parts, i.e., “Shanghai Forum, Shanghai Exhibition, Shanghai Fashion Show and Shanghai Innovation.” It’s worth noting that while continuing to highlight the advantages of educational resources in universities and strengthen “double first-rate” construction work, it attaches greater importance to universities serving national innovation-driven development strategy, the Belt and Road Initiative and academic and educational responsibility of Shanghai to build the Scientific and Technological Innovation Center with global influence.
Jiang Changjun, President of DHU, Chen Yuehua, Deputy Director of Shanghai Cultural & Creative Industry Leading Group Office, Liu Ping Vice Governor of Changning District, Liu Chunjing, inspector of Changning District, Lei Limin, Vice Chairman Of The China Textile Commerce Association, Liu Chunhong and Chen Ge, Vice Present of DHU, Charlie Jeffery, Senior Vice-Principal of the University of Edinburgh, Fan Jintu, Head of The Department Of Fiber Science & Apparel Design of Cornell University, Simiyu Sitati, Dean of School of Engineering at Moi University and relevant personnel were present at the ceremony presided over by Han Zheyu, Director of Shanghai Greater Donghua Fashion and Innovation Center.
(President Jiang Changjun delivered a speech at the opening ceremony)
First of all, Jiang Changjun expressed his warm welcome and sincere gratitude to the guests and friends who participated in this event and introduced the achievements of DHU in recent years, especially in design field. Located in Shanghai that boasts profound culture foundation and ceaseless scientific and technological innovation, DHU has joined with Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization and Changning District in building “Greater Donghua Cluster Area of Fashion and Creative Industries,” through which Shanghai International College of Fashion and Innovation, Shanghai International Fashion Innovation Center and Shanghai Promotion Center for City of Fashion were established to serve the regional development. Jiang stressed that the event this year fully represented the academic responsibility shouldered by DHU in fashion innovation with its characteristic discipline strength. DHU will continue to adhere to its mission, and strive to improve the level and quality of school running, making tireless efforts for the development of fashion and creative industries and the construction of Shanghai as an international fashion capital.
(Participating leaders and guests pressed the button for event start-up)
Shanghai Forum Spreads Academic Ideas:
Intelligent Fashion Helps Build Shanghai International Innovation Center
How many colors can this T-shirt show? How diversely can your dress get shaped? How much can this pair of trousers get charged? How long can the walk data be stored by the shoes? These are not nonsense, as with the rapid development of wearable technology, these may be the most frequently asked questions in addition to the price for shopping in the future.
On May 21, in the Shanghai forum of Greater Donghua Fashion Week gathering experts from the government, universities and enterprises at home and abroad, a heated discussion themed “Fashion and Wearable Technology in The Future” not only brought audience the latest news about this field, but also demonstrated how the “technology” of fashion would be conducive to the construction of Shanghai innovation center with global influence.
According to Prof. Fan Jintu introduced that change is the normal state of fashion, the trend of which is subject to social, economic, cultural, technological and other factors. He said, “The combination of fashion and sci-tech innovation is an important path for fashion development to gain high-end driving force while the emergence and development of new functional materials, wearable technology and advanced processing technology provide an opportunity to promote fashion innovation.” Besides, “Interdisciplinary cooperation plays a key role in promoting the successful integration and co-innovation of fashion and technology. Shanghai International Fashion Innovation Center will carry out more cutting-edge exploration based on enhancement of related disciplines and cultivation of comprehensive talents, thus actively responding to national needs and contributing to local construction.”
(Prof. Fan delivered an academic report)
Shanghai Exhibition Disseminates Silk Road Culture:
Representation of Fashion in Countries along the Belt and Road Routes
A Shanghai-style exhibition named “City Memory·Photo Exhibition of Fashion Timeline in Countries along the Belt and Road Routes” was held in Shanghai Museum of Textile and Costume on May 23, leading visitors to appreciate the gorgeous costume culture and city fashion changes of various countries along “the Belt and Road” (B&R) routes.
Distinguished from the photo exhibition themed “city memory” in last Greater Donghua Fashion Week, this year the exhibition targets the countries along the B&R routes, aiming to integrate the silk road clothing resources and mine the contents of major science and technology, art archeology, world cultural heritage, folk culture, silk road literature and fashion trend that cover 12 silk road areas. The exhibited over 180 photos, standing out from over 1,000 photos collected by 31 international students of DHU from 28 countries largely along the B&R routes, are displayed based on 6 scenes, i.e., family portrait, wedding dress, national costume, life photos, travel photos and school uniform, representing the life cultural scene of these countries that witnesses the fashion change and cultural development therein.
Another activity that highlights the “B&R” cultural elements is the “China-Africa Cultural Exchange Creative Fashion Show.” Owing to the “20+20 Cooperation Plan for Chinese and African Institutions of Higher Education,” DHU and Moi University co-founded the world’s first Confucius Institute characterized by textile and costume education in 2015. In 2016, two teachers from the Fashion • Art Design Institute went to Confucius Institute for lecturing and investigation. After coming back, they actively instructed students from department of fashion design and textile design to implement cross-creation practices and incorporate African symbolic elements into the whole process of fabric recreation and fashion design.
Shanghai Innovation Advocates Education of Innovative Spirit:
Scale Effect Appears in Incubation of Fashion Creative Talents
On May 25, release conference of design brands under the “Shangchuanghui Donghua University Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Incubator Base” was held, including, for instance, Starry Wish owned by Zhu Hong who graduated from DHU 9 years ago as well as Once Upon A Time and PENCIL UNISEX by two other graduates. With the batch release of multiple brands, it only means that these graduates’ business has taken another key step towards the market, but also reflects that the incubation of fashion creative talents by DHU has gradually presented scale effect.
Cultivation of fashion creative talents is one of the notable characteristics of DHU in talent training, and the annual Greater Donghua Fashion Week clearly creates a golden opportunity for these talents to show their works, for example, the Chinese University Students Garment Draping Contest, Release of New Designer Works, China-Japan Graduation Works Show, Release of DHU Fashion Design Graduate Works and Swarovski Creative Design Competition all serves as great platforms.
According to Vice President Liu Chunhong, the organization of Greater Donghua Fashion Week is intended to encourage students to give full play to their innovative spirit and in the future, DHU will continue to adhere to such educational philosophy and strive to cultivate more fashion creative talents for the society.
