Design Trust, an initiative of the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design, is pleased to launch a new one-year programme, Design Trust Fellowship at V&A East, awarding a creative practitioner funding to engage in research at V&A East Storehouse, fieldwork in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and China where appropriate, and to produce a new creative work, which will be displayed at V&A East for a six-month duration. The inaugural V&A East Design Trust Fellowship will begin in Autumn 2025, culminating in a commissioned work on display in Autumn 2026 through Spring 2027. Interested applicants can now submit until August 22nd 2025.
Launch of new Design Trust Fellowship at V&A East
3. 7. 2025
Practitioners are asked to respond to the theme the Stories of Clothes, with a focus relating to Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and China. The fellowship encourages projects rooted in object-based research which explore the meaning of clothes, questioning what our clothing reveals about us from the complex and intricate relationship we have with our bodies to the ways in which their design, production and disposal shape our world. Inspired by Saidiya Hartman’s methodology of approaching archives, the fellow might explore how ‘counter-narratives that recover the insurgent ground of human lives’ can be found though fieldwork within and beyond the museum.
Rooted in research, the final creative output could be in any media but practitioners are asked to consider the suitability of their project for a 6-month installation in a public building. Please note that the production costs for the outcome are included in the fellowship funding.
Brendan Cormier (Chief Curator, V&A East) and Marisa Yiu (Co-Founder, Lead Curator/ Executive Director, Design Trust) are pleased to jointly announce this fellowship that increases meaningful access to the V&A’s collection for creative practitioners to engage in object research and develop their own creative pursuits, furthering Design Trust’s mission to support creative projects that develop expertise, build research initiatives and content related to Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and China more broadly.
Budget & Support
The successful candidate will be awarded $275,000 HKD to support their time, travel expenses, accommodation and production costs of a new work to be installed at V&A East. Fellows can be based anywhere around the world, with at least 3 weeks of research to take place at V&A East Storehouse.
The fellowship includes mentorship from a topic expert (selected after a practitioner has been selected), as well as support from V&A East curatorial staff.
Submission & Selection
This open call runs from July 3rd 2025 – August 22nd 2025. Applications close at midnight on August 22nd 2025 UK Time.
Applicants will be asked to submit in English:
- a research plan and conceptual proposal for a new work to be displayed at V&A East (no more than 500 words and up to 5 images);
- a budget of how they would allocate $275,000 HKD;
- and a CV (no more than 500 words).
Please send your submissions to designtrustfellowship@vam.ac.uk.
Applications will be reviewed collectively by members of the V&A East team and Design Trust team. The team may choose to shortlist a small group of applicants and conduct interviews.
The finalist will be determined by September at the latest.
Fellowship timeline
- Midnight, Monday August 22nd UK time: Deadline for applications
- September 2025: Fellow appointed
- October to December 2025: Research phase
- January to March 2026: Concept Development
- April to September 2026: Production and installation of new work
- October 2026 to March 2027: Commission Display
More about V&A East (https://www.vam.ac.uk/east)
V&A East comprises of two new sister sites in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. V&A East Storehouse is your access all areas experience of the V&A collection. Go behind the scenes and take your own path through the worlds of art, design, performance, fashion and more. With galleries, exhibitions and events spotlighting the people, ideas and creativity shaping global culture right now, V&A East Museum is your place to meet, find inspiration and fresh ideas. Opening in east London, spring 2026.
More about Design Trust (https://designtrust.hk/)
Design Trust was established in 2014 by Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design, a registered charity in Hong Kong since 2007, as a grant funding and community platform. Design Trust supports creative projects that develop expertise, build research initiatives and content related to Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. Working across a multiplicity of design disciplines from graphics, media, architecture to the built environment, Design Trust aims to actively accelerate creative research, design and development of meaningful projects that advocate for the positive role of design.