Fashion a sustainable future: Hong Kong ethnic minority youth design and model upcycled clothes

“My parents get so much joy out of this because she didn’t get to grow up with things like this,” she added, explaining that her mother came to Hong Kong from an impoverished part of Nepal.

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Yazmin was one of 13 students who presented their clothing designs at the event organised by KELY Support Group, an NGO empowering the city’s youth to achieve their full potential.

This was part of KELY’s programme, Seeing the Possibilities, which gave ethnic minority students aged 14 to 17 the chance to explore their creativity through sustainable fashion design.

In February and March, the participants completed 10 hours of workshops, where they learned how to design new looks using garments donated by brands such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.

The programme also invited leaders from the PVH Foundation and Fashion Clinic to be panellists and mentors, sharing with students about the fashion industry.

Godi Li, deputy director of KELY Support Group, said fashion was a great way to encourage students to express themselves and build confidence.

“Ethnic minority students, especially in a predominantly Chinese society like Hong Kong, may not feel comfortable expressing themselves freely,” she said.

“Ethnic minority students often have fewer opportunities than their local peers, so we hope to boost their confidence on stage or in video presentations with the help of professional mentors.”

Yazmin joined KELY’s programme because of her interest in tackling the environmental impacts of fast fashion.

“People underestimate how much waste clothes [create],” the teen stressed. “Many don’t really expect clothes to be a problem – especially [in] fast fashion, there’s new trends every other day because of TikTok and social media.”

“Now that thrifting and upcycling are becoming more popular, I feel like it’s taking a big step towards [sustainability],” she said, grateful for the focus on the environment in KELY’s fashion programme.

“Not only does it give my friends a creative outlook, it also gives us a platform to be more sustainable,” Yazmin said, adding that the experience has inspired her to one day start a charity empowering ethnic minority students to work on environmental issues.

“I can learn from it and make my own [NGO].”

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Yazmin’s outfit was designed and hand-sewn by her classmate Bhavi Gurung, who received the award for Most Creative Upcycling Project at the showcase.

Taking inspiration from Japanese designer Haruki Osawa, known for his use of layered fabrics, Bhavi created a unisex denim jacket by bleaching a pair of jeans and repurposing them as sleeves.

“It’s my childhood dream. As a kid, I would draw clothes ... I get to do this now,” said the Form Three student.

“I never really had the chance for it because my parents don’t usually want to spend that much money,” she said.

Bhavi’s school also did not provide opportunities for her to explore her artistic side: “They don’t usually have design or art courses. They’re more like learning instead of hands-on experience.”

The budding designer, who is interested in thrifting and hopes to attend art school in the future, emphasised that sustainable fashion could be accessible to anyone.

“People who are really creative or those who don’t want to spend much money on clothes can just cut off some fabrics and stitch them together to create anything you want,” she said.

KELY’s fashion programme also expanded the horizons of teens who did not think of themselves as artists.

Another student designer, Zya, produced a jacket with detachable sleeves, and she was proud of how she pushed her boundaries.

“I wouldn’t consider myself a very creative person. I usually would just stick to my own limits, and I don’t go beyond that,” the 17-year-old said.

“I felt so proud of myself for having ideas that I would usually not come up with.”

The Form Three student also from Sir Ellis Kadoorie Secondary School (West Kowloon) emphasised that the sustainable fashion programme was a valuable learning experience she would not have otherwise had in school.

“It was a good change of scenery instead of learning mostly from our textbooks and listening to our teachers,” Zya said, adding that she had picked up basic sewing.

But the teen didn’t just learn new skills and develop her creativity – she also built better connections with her classmates. “My social life became more fruitful because I’m usually more introverted. But during this, it urged me to go out of my little box,” she added.

“Knowing that such programmes exist for ethnic minorities like us, I feel very thankful and included.”

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The teens expressed their hope for similar initiatives that would include more students from different backgrounds to foster a stronger sense of community among Hong Kong youth.

Bhavi said: “Most of us didn’t usually go to local schools when we were younger because our parents don’t know how to speak Cantonese ... When we get older, we also struggle with that.”

“So if we can include other students, both locals and ethnic minorities, we can help each other speak different languages.”