On the journey of the Design Innovation Institute Shanghai (DIIS) to create a "world-class design-driven innovation transformation engine", industry joint laboratories are one of the key elements of the design innovation transformation ecosystem. At DIIS, we join forces with leading institutions in various industries, driven by design + technology + business, to conduct strategic research and industry empowerment, exploring new technologies, new products, new business formats, and new models to develop the latest paradigm of industry collaborative innovation.
At the end of 2023, the institute co-established the DIIS x Hypak™ New Material Laboratory with Kingwills Advanced Materials. On the way to accelerating the application scenarios and innovation transformation of new materials, they are continually practicing the value of new materials. In a little over a year, the laboratory has achieved significant success: from developing the first waterproof product category to the first open innovation application competition, to the first city-level outdoor material property exhibition. It has become a successful case of collaborative innovation empowering industrial development. Let's look back at these important moments!
From the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, from the surge of steel to silicon-based chips, each advancement in human civilization has begun with breakthroughs in fundamental materials. Kingwills Advanced Materials aims to become the world's most creative material technology company, focusing on the research, production, and sales of flash-spun super material Hypak™-a high-strength, waterproof, and breathable special fiber material with advantages such as lightness, toughness, durability, and environmental friendliness. It has successfully achieved large-scale mass production in China, with products used in industries such as medical, construction, and packaging.
In October 2023, Kingwills Advanced Materials officially moved into the Shanghai Innovation & Creative Design Institute, and together they established the DIIS x Hypak™ New Materials Laboratory. On the way to accelerating the application scenarios and innovation transformation of new materials, they continually practice the value of new materials.
In the past year and a half, DIIS and Kingwills Advanced Materials have collaborated, achieving significant success: from developing the first waterproof product category to the first open innovation application competition, to the first city-level outdoor material property exhibition. It has become a successful case of collaborative innovation empowering industrial development. We look forward to using the power of innovative materials to drive the future world forward in the journey ahead.
The laboratory promotes the continuous enrichment of product application scenarios
(Comparison of the initial entry vs one year after entry)
DIIS's self-developed "Problem Laboratory" methodology starts from real problems, using cross-disciplinary, full-chain thinking to create new products, models, and economic system design innovations. In continuation of the two-year "Problem Laboratory" practice, on September 28, 2023, as an important segment of the 3rd Annual Creative Camp of the Design Universe and the 2023 World Design Capital Sub-venue, the laboratory successfully held the Hypak™ Innovation Design Workshop with the theme "Materials as the Foundation, Design Without Boundaries". On-site, group brainstorming sessions were held under three themes: "ESG, Life, Packaging." After discussions, the groups moved into the design phase, generating various possibilities of combining materials and products and expanding applications in the pet economy and other scenarios.
Since the first successful workshop, Kingwills's path of cross-border integration at DIIS has become clear, continuously exploring new material application scenarios, including fashion consumption, mother and baby care, printing, interior design, and more.
In 2023, the laboratory launched the first Hypak™ paper book, whose waterproof, moisture-proof, insect-resistant, tough, and wear-resistant characteristics allow it to be preserved permanently.
At the same time, the laboratory also welcomed its first "Industry-Academia-Research Collaborative Innovation" project—the first "Hypak Design National College Student Theme Design Competition," which was officially launched at the end of 2023 after more than two months of preparation. The competition quickly spread among global design schools, receiving more than 400 student entries from over 20 universities. Over 50 valid works entered the preliminaries, covering multiple fields from industrial design and product design to fashion design. This competition emphasizes not only design innovation but also the ability to transform creativity into real products. As one of the few design competitions that can directly turn student work into products, the Hypak™ Design Competition requires participants to consider not only the artistry and practicality of the design but also to deeply explore the commercial feasibility of the work and create prototypes.
In May 2024, at the finals featuring the top 10 entries out of hundreds, we witnessed rich imagination and deep creativity, with works such as an integrated cultural gift box, personalized luminaries that can transform into containers, a children's educational tissue box, and rewritable reusable children's books. These creative works will be further refined and are expected to hit the market, meeting the public in the future.
While continuously expanding application scenarios, DIIS assists Hypak™ materials in enhancing brand awareness through its cross-border collaborative innovation ecosystem, showcasing at high-impact platforms, and further opening up the market.
In June 2024, at the Graduate Design Exhibition of Tongji University College of Design and Innovation/Shanghai International College of Design and Innovation, Hypak™ shone brilliantly with its excellent color performance and realistic printing effects. The tote bags printed and produced using Hypak™ served not only as graduation souvenirs for the 2024 graduates but also as "ambassadors" walking around campus, conveying the charm of innovative design.
In August 2024, the flower and bird images folded from Hypak™ made their debut at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. The interactive installation artwork "Queyin" awakens city dwellers' longing for the beauty of nature by simulating the sounds of the natural environment. Visitors only need to lightly step on the sewing machine pedal below the installation to produce different sound and light effects.
Interactive Installation Artwork "Queyin" Made with Hypak™
At the end of September 2024, at the 2024 World Design Capital Conference (WDCC) - the 4th "Design Universe" Annual Creative Camp, we also saw the presence of Hypak™ materials at the main venue on the banks of the Huangpu River: the smooth surface of high-density polyethylene allows the vivid expression of the details and colors of artistic works. The vibrant outdoor flags swaying in the wind at the Huangpu riverside "Universe Camp" showcased a new vision of design creating a better life for the public. Kailas founder Zhong Chengzhan and artist Liu Yi utilized Hypak™'s excellent printing and durability properties to collaboratively complete the public art piece "Flying Low, Climbing the Universe" on a 6mx6m white Hypak™ material using a wheelchair. This work demonstrated Hypak™'s toughness and durability, strength, and environmental protection, showing its "urban traveler, heart of the universe" vitality even in outdoor stormy weather.
After a year and a half of accelerated collaboration, DIIS and Kingwills Advanced Materials have successfully deeply integrated design, technology, and business, crossing the boundaries of different knowledge fields, significantly enhancing brand recognition, and directly promoting product scenario expansion and sales growth. Additionally, leveraging DIIS's unique ecosystem empowerment, Kingwills has continuously improved market influence and industrial capability under multiple attentions.
Hypak™ has gone through the early stages of product development and mid-term application verification and has now obtained over 100 million yuan in Series B financing. In 2024, it established an independent consumer goods sales department, not only steadily expanding the corporate structure but also successfully entering the consumer goods market with a refreshing new product series, opening a new chapter in material innovation.
We also look forward to continuing our partnership with Kingwills in the coming years, soaring to greater heights and achieving remarkable success!
Kingwills International Limited
Kingwills International Limited
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