Re-Seed Asia: The Future of East Asian Fashion & Cultural Exchange

Date: Tuesday 23 June - Thursday 25 June 2026
Venue:

Tickets: Free | Reservation links below
23 June Exhibition Opening & Creative Diplomacy Reception | Register here
24 June Hands-on Cultural Workshops | Book here
25 June Industry & Academic Panel Discussions | Book here

Re-Seed Asia brings together fashion, education, and cultural exchange to connect emerging creatives across Asia.

Re-Seed Asia poster

Re-Seed Asia: Fashion, Culture & Creative Diplomacy Summit is an exhibition-led international cultural exchange programme hosted by University of the Arts London at London College of Fashion. This exhibition brings together emerging student creatives from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the UK to explore themes of identity, heritage, sustainability, innovation, and contemporary fashion practice through a shared platform of creative dialogue.

The programme is a collaborative initiative between:

University of the Arts London
Bunka Gakuen University
Fu Jen Catholic University

The exhibition aims to strengthen creative diplomacy between East Asia and the UK by bringing together students, diplomats, policymakers, fashion leaders, buyers, media professionals, academics, and cultural organisations.

The exhibition is part of the wider Re-Seed Asia programme:

23 June Exhibition Opening & Creative Diplomacy Reception
24 June Hands-on Cultural Workshops
25 June Industry & Academic Panel Discussions

Attend all three days to experience emerging East Asian creativity through exhibition, making, and dialogue.

23 June: Exhibition Opening & Creative Diplomacy Reception

4:30pm – 9pm

Taking place on the opening day of Paris Fashion Week, this event offers London-based fashion professionals a unique opportunity to engage with future global talent and cultural leaders without leaving the city.

Attendees can expect:

Exclusive access to an exhibition showcasing emerging East Asian fashion and creative talent
Networking opportunities with international fashion industry leaders
Cultural exchange with visiting university delegations
Diplomatic engagement with ambassadors and policymakers
Industry insights from media executives and global fashion brands
Private leadership networking opportunities

24 June: Hands-on Cultural Workshops

Session 1: Korean Textile Jogakbo Coaster Workshop
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM, hosted by University of the Arts London

This hands‑on workshop explores traditional Korean textile techniques, focusing on Jogakbo, a historic patchwork method originally developed as a way to reuse leftover fabric pieces. Participants will learn how Jogakbo transforms fabric remnants into new, meaningful textiles that reflect sustainability, craftsmanship, and cultural heritage.

In this workshop, participants will:

Explore traditional Korean textile practices through the Jogakbo technique
Learn about the cultural and sustainable principles behind fabric reuse
Create a handmade Jogakbo‑inspired textile coaster to take home

Session 2: Sashiko Japanese Embroidery Workshop
13:30 PM – 3:30 PM, hosted by Bunka Gakuen University

Discover the timeless art of Sashiko, a traditional Japanese embroidery technique rooted in the philosophy of Mottainai—the idea of reducing waste and valuing materials. Participants will:

Learn the history behind Sashiko
Explore traditional pattern symbolism
Practice embroidery techniques
Learn visible mending skills for garment repair

Materials provided by Daruma Thread. This workshop series is ideal for:

UAL students and academics
Fashion professionals
Exhibition visitors

No prior experience is required.

Session 3: Taiwanese Upcycled Tea Sachet Workshop
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM, hosted by Fu Jen Catholic University

Discover innovative circular design practices by transforming used tea sachets into creative objects while learning about sustainability through Taiwan’s tea culture. Participants will:

Learn about circular fashion practices
Explore sustainable material innovation
Transform tea waste into creative design pieces
Experiment with upcycling methods

25 June Industry & Academic Panel Discussions

1:00pm onwards

The Industry Day is designed especially for London College of Fashion students, UAL students and alumni, emerging creatives, educators, cultural partners and fashion industry professionals interested in East Asian fashion, cultural storytelling, creative enterprise, media visibility, student experience and global fashion futures.

The programme will consider key questions including:

How can student creativity grow beyond university into enterprise, media, industry and cultural exchange?
How do fashion stories travel across global media, digital platforms and contemporary audiences?
How can alumni pathways help current students imagine future careers in fashion and creative industries?
How does Re-Seed Asia create space for identity, belonging, community and cross-cultural dialogue?
What role can fashion play in building bridges between education, industry, culture and public practice?

The draft schedule is as follows

Time	Session Title	Speaker(s) / Detail
1:00-1:10	Opening Welcome	Dr Liz Gee, Dean of Fashion Business School, LCF The Industry Day will open with welcome remarks from Dr Liz Gee, Dean of Fashion Business School at London College of Fashion. Her remarks will frame Re-Seed Asia in relation to fashion business, student enterprise, alumni pathways, industry engagement and international collaboration.
1:10-1:20	Introducing Re-Seed Asia: Fashion, Cultural Storytelling and Creative Futures	Dr Min-Ji Seo, Project Lead, Re-Seed Asia Dr Min-Ji Seo will introduce the vision behind Re-Seed Asia and its wider role as a platform connecting East Asian student creativity with cultural storytelling, media visibility, alumni networks, industry engagement and public cultural exchange.
1:20-1:30	From Original Ideas to Creative Ventures	Alyssa Becht, Director of Greenhouse A short recorded contribution from Alyssa Becht of UAL Greenhouse, offering students practical insight into how original creative ideas can develop into projects, ventures and professional opportunities.
1:30-1:50	Building Cultural Velocity: Strategy, Creators and Contemporary Audiences	Hugh Reinbolt, Head of Strategy, HYDP Hugh Reinbolt will give a featured talk exploring how creative ideas, cultural stories and emerging talent can gain relevance, visibility and momentum with contemporary audiences. His talk will introduce students to strategic thinking around creators, platforms, audience behaviour and cultural relevance.
1:50-2:15	From Independent Magazine to Cultural Platform	Jack Lee, CEO of A2Z Fashion Magazine Jack Lee will give a featured talk on how independent fashion media can become more than a publication. Drawing on his work with A2Z Fashion Magazine, this session will explore editorial direction, image-making, visual storytelling, Asian creativity and global fashion visibility.
2:15-3.00	Student Voices: Identity, Belonging and Cross-Cultural Fashion Practice	Previous Re-Seed Asia participating students This student reflection panel will centre the voices of previous Re-Seed Asia participants. Through a facilitated conversation, students will reflect on their experience of the project, including identity, belonging, creative confidence, cultural exchange, community and the role of fashion in shaping their personal and professional development.
3.00-3.20	From Breaking News to Cultural Storytelling: Media, Trust & Global Visibility	Matthew Shaw, Senior Editor and Executive Producer, BBCMatthew Shaw will deliver a featured speech drawing on his 30-year career at BBC News, where he has worked on some of the most significant news events of the past three decades, led a BAFTA-nominated team, and edited award-winning programmes. In 2022, he oversaw the BBC News coverage plan for Queen Elizabeth II’s death. His talk will explore how stories gain public attention, credibility, and global reach, considering the role of media in shaping cultural visibility, public trust, and international understanding. In line with the themes of Re-Seed Asia, the session will reflect on how fashion, creativity, and cultural exchange can be communicated with clarity, sensitivity, and impact to global audiences. Matthew has also served on the UK Government’s advisory committee on workplace mental health and has been published in The Lancet.
3.20-4.00	Creative Exchange and Exhibition Viewing	Attendees will have time to view the Re-Seed Asia exhibition, meet participating students and engage in informal conversations with speakers, colleagues, alumni and invited guests.
4.00-4:30	VIP, Industry and Student Networking	A focused networking session bringing together invited industry guests, speakers, students, alumni and cultural partners. This session is designed to support conversation, connection and future collaboration across education, media, industry and cultural exchange.
4:30-5:00	Fashion Stories in Global Media and Cultural Visibility	Hosts: Matthew Shaw, BBC (Executive Broadcast Producer); Laia Farran Graves, Forbes (Journalist); Alison Pascual, Condé Nast (Senior Manager, Global Strategic Content Initiatives, Media Licensing). This media panel will explore how fashion narratives travel across broadcasting, journalism, publishing and global media platforms. Contributors will discuss what makes fashion stories visible, relevant and compelling to wider audiences, and how emerging East Asian creatives can communicate their work beyond the exhibition space
5:00-5:30	From UAL to Global Fashion: Asian Alumni Career Pathways	Katia Kormar, Dorrity Wu, Yoojoo Shin, chaired by Min-Ji Seo
5:30-5:45	Re-Seed Asia as Public Practice: Community, Belonging and Cultural Exchange	Hosted by Dr Min-Ji Seo, with short responses from Art Haxhijakupi (Head of Programme & Public Outreach at Koppel Project), Jonathan Hillson and Eunju Macmahon. The day will close with a short reflection on Re-Seed Asia as a public-facing cultural platform. This session will connect the day’s themes of student creativity, industry pathways, media visibility, community, belonging and cultural exchange, while considering how Re-Seed Asia can continue to grow beyond the exhibition space.
5:45 onwards	Exhibition Viewing and Informal Networking	Attendees are invited to continue viewing the exhibition and networking informally with students, speakers, alumni and invited guests.

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