Today, Hong Kong inaugurates a month-long program dedicated to sustainable fashion and cultural dialogue between East and West. With FASHION TO RECONNECT: A Tale of Two Style Capitals, the city transforms into an international laboratory where designers, artists, institutions, and communities meet to explore new approaches to creativity, innovation, and responsibility.

The project, which will continue until December 24, 2025, is a collaboration between the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS), the City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), and Cittadellarte's Fashion B.E.S.T. fashion office, with the support of the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. FASHION TO RECONNECT is part of the broader Hong Kong Fashion Fest program, promoted by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency and presented by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The exhibition features a comprehensive program that includes six Third Paradise art installations, reinterpreted by local Hong Kong artists and collectives, a fashion exhibition, and several interactive sessions featuring creatives from both regions.

An immersive exhibition that unites aesthetics, tradition, and responsibility

The heart of the exhibition is the fashion exhibition FASHION TO RECONNECT, hosted at ArtisTree in Taikoo Place from November 25th to December 24th. Curated by designer Tiziano Guardini and promoted by the Pistoletto Foundation, the exhibition brings together the work of nine Hong Kong-based designers and brands and fifteen Italian protagonists of contemporary fashion. The selected creations illustrate the dialogue between tradition and innovation, nature and technology, focusing on research into sustainability, responsibility, and the potential for using fashion as a tool for social transformation.

The exhibition, inspired by Michelangelo Pistoletto's concept of Third Paradise, invites visitors to reflect on how the encounter between cultures, materials, and languages ​​can generate something new, capable of contributing to a more balanced future between artifice and nature. Among the Italian protagonists are historic fashion houses such as Giorgio Armani, Ferragamo, Missoni, Etro, Zegna, and Diesel, alongside emerging designers, artisans, and designers working on material research and artistic experimentation, such as Piero D’Angelo, Pietra Pistoletto, Marco Rambaldi, Lorenzo Seghezzi, Cavia, Institution, and Tiziano Guardini himself. Representing Hong Kong, the public will find works by Arto Wong, Dorian Ho, Jasmine Leung, Jason Ying, Mandy Fong, Mountain Yam, Tiger Chung, Toki Wong, and Vivienne Tam, each with a personal interpretation of the principles of transformation and connection underlying the project. For the first time, the exhibition also includes a section dedicated to footwear, with a selection from Italian archives.

Meetings and Dialogues for a Shared Vision on Sustainability

A comprehensive program of meetings will be held at Soho House on November 27th and 28th. The symposium, roundtable, and seminars bring together scholars, designers, and professionals from European and Asian contexts to explore the challenges and opportunities of eco-conscious design. The presentations address crucial issues such as resource management, cultural preservation, cross-sector collaborations, and the role of creative industries as catalysts for change. Among the program's keynote speakers are Paolo Naldini, Director of Cittadellarte, Sara Sozzani Maino, Creative Director of the Sozzani Foundation, and Tiziano Guardini, curator of the exhibition. They reflect on the need for a shared vision, capable of connecting Chinese and European perspectives for deeper and more innovative collaboration.

The Third Paradise in Urban Spaces: Public Art for a New Connection

Throughout the exhibition, six Third Paradise installations will be displayed in six iconic locations around the city, from Sophia Loren House to Hong Kong International Airport, from City University to the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and Hung Hom Harbourfront Promenade. Created by local artists and collectives, the installations engage with the urban landscape through digital effects and large-scale interventions, transforming everyday spaces into social spaces. The goal is to bring residents and visitors closer to a sustainable perspective and invite the city to rethink its relationship with nature. Furthermore, a flash mob dedicated to the trinamic symbol will be held on November 18th at CityUHK, transforming the Third Paradise into a performative action combining music, movement, and collective participation (further details on the installations will be explored in a dedicated article in the coming days, editor's note).

Let's hear from the protagonists: words from the project

Professor AlfrTat-kei Ho, Dean of CLASS, emphasized how this project represents "a high-impact activity, capable of engaging not only academics, fashion, sustainability, and art professionals, but also the broader public, helping to strengthen Hong Kong's image as a creative and cultural hub oriented towards the encounter between East and West".

Assistant Professor and project coordinator Esterina Nervino emphasized the centrality of this collaboration: "With research rooted in luxury, sustainability, and art, I am particularly proud of this initiative, which brings together exceptional partners to create cultural experiences capable of inspiring communities and activating the city's neighborhoods".

During the press conference at Casa Sofia Loren, Francesco Saverio Teruzzi, Cittadellarte's correspondent, also spoke, sharing a reflection on the significance of the Third Paradise in the Hong Kong context. When speaking of the Third Paradise, we must not forget that, besides being a symbol, it is also a formula: the sum of one element and another element equals three. It is not an average, but an addition, because in the encounter between two realities, it is their differences, their knowledge, and their characteristics that generate something new, something that was not there before and that from that moment on belongs to everyone. This is why Hong Kong, a city that is the sum of the people who have lived and live there, arriving from all over the world, is the ideal place to welcome the Third Paradise and to host an exhibition that speaks of tradition and innovation, nature and technology, sustainability and responsibility. Because it reminds us that beauty is always ethical as well as aesthetic.

Details and Visiting Information:

FASHION TO RECONNECT Fashion Exhibition

Date: November 25 – December 24

Hours: Monday – Friday (12:00 – 20:00) / Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays (11:00 – 20:00)

Venue: ArtisTree, Taikoo Place

FASHION TO RECONNECT Symposium

Date: November 27

Hours: 9:00 – 19:00

Venue: Soho House

FASHION TO RECONNECT Roundtable and Seminars

Date: November 28

Hours: 9:00 – 16:00

Venue: Soho House

For more information on FASHION TO RECONNECT, please visit: http://www.fashiontoreconnecthk.com/