Supporting Enterprises to Go Global, Strengthening Talent Nurturing, Promoting Design Mega Events, and Reinforcing Hong Kong’s Positioning as an East-meets-West Centre for International Cultural Exchange
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 17 September 2026 – Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) welcomes the initiatives outlined in The First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026–2030) (The First Five-Year Plan) and the Chief Executive’s 2026 Policy Address, in particular to strengthen support for local design enterprises to go global, nurture design talent, promote design mega events in Hong Kong, and further reinforce Hong Kong’s pivotal role as an ‘East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange’.
Mr Steve Leung, Chairman of Hong Kong Design Centre, stated, ‘The current-term Government has achieved encouraging results in promoting the development of the design industry. One notable example is the Hong Kong Fashion Fest, an annual mega event launched in response to the Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address, which has gained increasing recognition from both the industry and the public, positioning Hong Kong as Asia’s leading fashion design hub. The First Five-Year Plan further enumerates a blueprint and vision for the city’s overall development. The 2026 Policy Address also aligns with and supports the objectives of The First Five-Year Plan by outlining concrete measures to drive development.’
Mr Steve Leung continued, ‘In response to the recommendations set out in the 2024 Policy Address, Hong Kong Design Centre has completed the restructuring of its organisation and functions, and has been progressively implementing a new development roadmap and direction. The Centre will fully align with The First Five-Year Plan and the Government’s initiatives, while actively integrating into and serving the overall national development. Through our various flagship programmes, we will continue to focus on helping design enterprises enhance their products and brand design capabilities and services, strengthening collaboration and interface between start-ups and Chinese Mainland enterprises, and driving Hong Kong’s design industry to go global for more business opportunities.’
To align with the Government’s efforts in implementing the ‘Bringing in and Going Global’ strategy, and to leverage its role as a platform for overseas expansion, HKDC launched its Outreach Programme last year, leading Hong Kong’s emerging designers to participate for the first time in Shanghai Fashion Week and the ‘Think Business, Think Hong Kong’ programme in Milan. This year, the programme will continue across Chinese Mainland and overseas cities, assisting Hong Kong’s design and creative talents to explore new markets, while leveraging Hong Kong’s role as a ‘super connector’ and ‘super value-adder’ in driving global design industry exchange.
Regarding nurturing of talents, HKDC continues to refine its incubation function. A new design incubation programme will be launched this year, assisting potential design enterprises in achieving high-quality development. The programme aims to incubate design start-ups established for one to three years, and provides in-depth support to enterprises established for three to 15 years. Together, these help design businesses across different disciplines and stages of development build a solid business foundation, drive brand upgrading and market expansion, thereby achieving sustainable growth and generating fresh momentum for Hong Kong’s creative economy.
In recent years, the Government has been vigorously promoting the hosting of world-class design mega events in Hong Kong. HKDC is honoured to expand its annual flagship event, Business of Design Week (BODW) in 2026/27, and re-brand BODW in the City as DESIGN@HKG. From November onwards, HKDC will collaborate with venue partners, international and local brands, and designers, to present a wider range of design programmes across different districts in Hong Kong. Through interactive experiences, the initiative will infuse local design culture and creative elements into every corner of the city, encouraging participation from corporate brands, tourists, and the general public. At the same time, leveraging BODW Summit to gather global creative leaders and entrepreneurs to Hong Kong for exchange, while connecting design-themed activities across the city, creates synergy and fosters greater creative atmosphere. The DX design hub in Sham Shui Po will continue to curate a diverse range of thematic design exhibitions, fashion retail and immersive design experiences, energising community creativity, fostering cross-sectoral exchange and commercial collaboration, and promoting the local economy and cultural tourism.
In support of the Government’s drive to reinforce Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s leading hub for fashion design and retail through the continued staging of the annual mega event, Hong Kong Fashion Fest, HKDC is delighted to have partnered for the first time with Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), the organiser of Milan Fashion Week. Together, HKDC and CNMI co-curated the ‘Future Threads: Menswear’s New Waves Between Italy and Hong Kong’ Exhibition, one of the flagship programmes of this year’s Hong Kong Fashion Fest. Meanwhile, HKDC’s fashion initiative, Fashion Asia Hong Kong, presented its two highlight events ‘Fashion Challenges Forum’ and ’10 Asian Designers to Watch’ Exhibition’, bringing Asia’s avant-garde design to the international stage.
As a strategic partner of the HKSAR Government, HKDC is committed to promoting design and creative culture, with a view to reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as an international design hub. HKDC will continue to fully support the Government’s policy initiatives to foster the development of the cultural and creative industries in Hong Kong. Working hand in hand with the industry, we strive to thoroughly implement Hong Kong’s positioning as the ‘East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange’ under the National 15th Five-Year Plan.
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About Hong Kong Design Centre
Hong Kong Design Centre is a strategic partner of the HKSAR Government in leveraging the city’s East-meets-West advantage to create value from design.
The major programmes include Business of Design Week (BODW), bodw Future Lab, DFA Awards, Fashion Asia Hong Kong and DESIGN@HKG (formerly BODW In the City). Since 2024, we have also been operating the DX design hub in Sham Shui Po, dedicated to fostering emerging design talents and facilitating collaborations and exchanges in the design industry, as well as providing visitors an immersive experience through innovative exhibitions, fashion showcases and cultural events.
To achieve our goals we:
- Cultivate a culture of design
- Bridge stakeholders to opportunities that unleash the power of design
- Promote excellence in various design disciplines
About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency
The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) since 2009, was established in June 2024. CCIDA is a dedicated office under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative sectors with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate development of the arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. CCIDA’s strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary collaboration, promoting industrialisation of the arts, culture and creative sectors under the industry-oriented principle, and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community, thereby reinforcing Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and our positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to some of HKDC’s activities/projects only, and does not otherwise take part in such funded activities/projects. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication and relevant materials/events (or by members of the project teams) are those of HKDC only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.
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