Design Trust Grant Programmes Spotlight

Design Trust is pleased to share a selection of highlighted grant projects and news from grantees, including Design Trust Seed Grant research exhibition “RE:SEW FOR FUTURE” led by Sylvia Lai and Toby Crispy, Design Trust Seed Grant research exhibition “Order within Chaos: The Culture Behind Hong Kong’s Market Objects” led by Veera Fung and Melody Yiu, and Design Trust Seed Grant exhibition programme “ZINE YO! FEST” led by Forrest Lau, Beatrix Pang and Jason Li of Zine Coop. 

Design Trust Seed Grant research exhibition “RE:SEW FOR FUTURE” led by Sylvia Lai and Toby Crispy opened on August 30^th 2025 at “In time of” on 1F Airside, Kai Tak. The participatory exhibition invited the public to revisit the craftsmanship and local tradition of garment-making in Hong Kong, while reimagining the future of textile and community through a series of participatory activities. Through showcasing sewing machines and clothes-making tools, from different eras, the exhibition delved into their historical layers, bridging the past with the future, restoring the intrinsic value of clothing and fostering a zero-waste culture and material circularity. The exhibition is currently on view till October 13^th 2025 at “In time of” on 1F Airside, Kai Tak.

Design Trust Seed Grant research exhibition “Order within Chaos: The Culture Behind Hong Kong’s Market Objects” led by Veera Fung and Melody Yiu took place from September 17^th to 20^th at 618 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok. The project uncovered the creative uses of market objects and the underlying forces that shape them. The study focuses on three markets in Mongkok: the Fa Yuen Street Municipal Services Building, the Fa Yuen Street Market, and the Flower Market, each reflecting a unique market typology, spatial characteristics, operational mechanism, and everyday practices. The research exhibition illustrated how vendors’ everyday lives and practices unfold in Hong Kong’s markets, the challenges they encounter, and the inventive ways they adapt, providing a new understanding of Hong Kong’s vibrant market culture.

Design Trust Seed Grant exhibition programme “ZINE YO! FEST” led by Forrest Lau, Beatrix Pang and Jason Li of Zine Coop opened to public on September 20^th with a Zine market at Heath, Chungking Mansions, Tsim Sha Tsui. The collective programme presents a vibrant month-long celebration of DIY publishing, experimental print art, and zine culture, organised by zine publishers’ collective ZINE COOP, serving as Hong Kong's creative nexus while connecting communities across the Greater Bay Area and East/Southeast Asia. The 2025 edition features a zine market with over 60 local and international exhibitors, a curated exhibition of zines from regional creators, with hands-on workshops in risograph, bookbinding, and zine-making bridging the creative zine community across borders. The second Zine market will take place on October 11^th – 12^th along with a series of workshops, talks and tours spanning the month at Heath, Chungking Mansions, Tsim Sha Tsui.