Dee Poon Awarded Honorary Doctorate by University of the Arts London

Dee Poon, Board Member of Tessellation Group and President of Brands and Retailing, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of the Arts London (UAL). The honor was conferred on 17 March at UAL’s postgraduate graduation ceremony, held at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

A tribute to Dee’s outstanding contribution to sustainable fashion, this recognition also reflects the collective achievements of Tessellation Group in advancing innovation and sustainability across the fashion and textile industry under her leadership. Dee is one of four honorees this year, recognized for contributions spanning fashion, business, art and culture. She is also the first Honorary Doctor of UAL to be born and based in China, underscoring the growing global impact of innovation and leadership emerging from the region.

Under Dee’s founding vision, Tessellation has developed and scaled a portfolio of solutions that challenge conventional production models. Through ECOHUES™ waterless dyeing solution, the Group is enabling a step change in dyeing processes by eliminating water and salt usage in cellulosic fibre dyeing. In parallel, DETERMINANT translates these innovations into market-ready applications, including its Cotton Waterless Dye Collection, recognized by the United Nations’ Retail4Impact initiative for its closed-loop approach.

In her address to graduates, Dee spoke about the importance of pursuing paths where success is not assumed — a mindset that creates space for experimentation, encourages resilience, and sustains progress in the face of uncertainty. This perspective continues to guide Tessellation’s approach to innovation and responsible growth.

As Dee shared, “The goal has always been to make the world a little better, one stitch at a time.”

<span class="story_highlight">UAL Postgraduate Graduation for the Class of 2026, at Royal Festival Hall, 2026, UAL | Photograph: In-press Photography Ltd</span>

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