Fifty Years Forward: How CKG is Building a Legacy Defined by Sustainability and Innovation

As the fashion industry grapples with sustainability pressures, CKG stands out for doing what they always have: responsible manufacturing with a future-focused mindset. Director Vincent Djen reflects on his journey, his advice to entrepreneurs, and the true meaning of success in business.

Image credit: CKG

In partnership with Cheng Kung Garments (CKG), Material Talk spoke with the sustainable manufacturer about the company’s origins, its future, and the leadership taking the business from strength to strength.

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Sustainability in fashion sometimes feels like patching a leaking ship with full capacity on board. 

The latest stats suggest that the fashion industry is among the top three pressures on water and land use and the top five for raw materials use and greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Then there is the fact that we are buying more clothing than ever before, with clothing and footwear consumption expected to increase by 63% by 2030. But the average number of times we wear our garments has decreased dramatically, resulting in truckloads of textiles being sent to landfill or incinerated every second.

In short: our actions mean that the planet is warming, weather is intensifying, and the disruptive effects are being felt across fashion’s supply chains. The industry realistically has little time left to be proactive, rather than reactive, about them. While acknowledging this, it has to be said: the whole industry is under extraordinary pressure - especially brands. Circularity makes for a compelling vision, but translating that vision into reality amid today’s volatile, cost-driven retail environment is far from simple. Yet, with the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles setting the tone for what’s to come, brands that want to stay relevant (and resilient) need to act now to future-proof business.

To do this, brands will need manufacturing partners who are ahead of the curve, not just scrambling to catch up. Partners who know that with the EU’s new sustainability regulations coming into force, polished promises and glossy claims will hold no weight against verifiable proof. Few understand this better than Cheng Kung Garments (CKG), a manufacturer that has been honing sustainable production since 1975.

CKG: local roots with a global, sustainable outlook 

“My parents started the business from scratch,” Vincent Djen, Director of CKG tells Material Talk. “Their focus wasn’t necessarily on sustainability as it’s known today but rather on quality, open communication with their customers, and factory safety.”

The "Cheng Kung" in CKG comes from the word "success" in Chinese (成功 chéng gōng) and it lives up to that name, celebrating its 50th year in business this year. It started during the Hong Kong manufacturing boom and today includes on its client list names like Ganni, Gant, and Maggie Marilyn - all of whom are renowned for their sustainable practices.

Image credit: CKG

This raises the question: what does it really mean to be sustainable in fashion today? Sustainability has become a catch-all term, one that can be anything from using organic cotton to offsetting carbon emissions. One of the most concrete ways companies can demonstrate this is through credible certifications: proof that words are backed by verifiable standards. CKG is a leading example of this, holding a comprehensive suite of global certifications, including BSCI, Sedex, GRS, RDS, and RWS. Together, these credentials speak to the company’s rigorous compliance with environmental stewardship, responsible material sourcing, and ethical labor practices.

Accumulating a self-made fashion MBA

Now at the helm of the family business, Vincent Djen has these concepts embedded into everything he does. But was it always part of the plan? In a way, yes.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, he crossed the Pacific at 15 to continue his education in North America - spending two years in Canada and eight more in the United States for high school and college. 

In those years, Vincent developed a mixture of skills that amount to the ideal fashion MBA. “I started college in electrical engineering and spent three years immersed in it,” he reflects. “Even though I didn’t finish, I gained hands-on experience which was really a full-blown engineering education that still shapes the way I approach problems today.”

Moving on from machinery to financial management he then studied accounting at Cal Poly Pomona in Southern California during the dot-com boom. Vincent found himself drawn to finance and business. He read Fortune 500 magazines and annual reports for fun, and subscribed to The Wall Street Journal - pinning its poster-sized pages to his dorm room wall while others hung sports memorabilia. Between rounds of Counter-Strike, Bloomberg played in the background: a fitting soundtrack for someone who was, unknowingly, building a business education on his own terms.

Finally came fashion, in which Vincent took a few classes at his father’s suggestion. After graduating, he combined all this experience with learning the family business from the ground up. And though he’d grown up overhearing talk of textiles around the dinner table, the day-to-day realities were entirely new.

Image credit: CKG

“I started from scratch learning from colleagues in the office, from the factory floor, and also from old textbooks on textile engineering and fashion,” he says. “Some of those books you can’t even find anymore, but they were incredible.”

To branch out or double down?

While many second-generation factory owners may choose to branch out into new industries or start their own brands, Vincent chose to focus more intently on what the Djen family knew best. “It’s better to really understand one industry and do it well,” he says. “I already know manufacturing and product development, so instead of starting over somewhere else, I wanted to focus on innovation within this space.”

This thinking led to Vincent co-founding China Textile Recycling (CTR), a leader in post consumer textile collection, sorting, and recycling in China that's helping the industry in the circular fashion transformation.

Vincent has also taken part in a fashion accelerator program, an experience that, while short-lived, was transformative. “We didn’t end up continuing the accelerator,” he says, “but it opened my eyes to so many different sides of the industry. I wasn’t just the manufacturer anymore; I was meeting people from the catwalk side, the brand side, fashion tech, digital innovation, material science - all these completely different worlds.” From that experience, he developed his own network of innovators, building an ecosystem focused on fashion’s future.

That spirit of collaboration led him to contribute to the Specification for the design of circular clothing, and to the textbook Sustainable Fashion Design and Management. 

Image credit: CKG

His perspective, however, isn’t only future oriented. Just as he is working to define what’s next for the industry, Vincent also looks back to its past, studying historical Chinese newspaper ads, clippings, and archival imagery to trace fashion’s evolution. “I love seeing what fashion and business conversations looked like 30 or 40 years ago,” he says. “There are more similarities than you’d think.”

Defining Cheng Kung in manufacturing

From the perspective of CKG, success has never been defined by valuations or headlines. “Your success isn’t about how much your company is worth,” Vincent explains. “It’s about doing something good, doing your job well, and being able to support your family. If you can do that - and provide stability for a few hundred people in your community - that’s already success.”

It’s a grounded philosophy in an industry obsessed with scale and speed to the detriment of the environment. Vincent believes growth must be measured and mindful. “You have to be comfortable with your limits,” he explains. “If taking on a big investment or a lot of debt keeps you up at night, then it’s not worth it. Grow within your means. It’s better to build something sustainable than to let growth consume you.”

That approach is also how CKG continues to evolve. “We want to expand our customer base, but at a pace that feels right,” he says. “The geopolitical environment is unpredictable, so we need to stay cautious.” Still, his excitement for innovation hasn’t waned. The company is continuing to push forward in textile-to-textile recycling and exploring partnerships that align with its circular vision.

“At the end of the day,” Vincent reflects, “this new way of doing things, the circular system, it's fun for me. And I want to keep it that way.”

Next moves for a better industry

The fashion industry is at the point where each step made can superficially tick a box without much action, or work to transform the system. Doing nothing is no longer an option. It’s true that sustainability regulations are confusing at the best of times and changing constantly - even so, brands can no longer rely on glossy claims or downstream fixes. Action must start upstream, where materials are sourced, garments are manufactured, and processes can make the biggest impact.

This is where CKG stands apart. The company has built a legacy of sustainable manufacturing, balancing craftsmanship with innovation, circular practices, and a deep understanding of the supply chain. For brands looking to confidently navigate this new era - where uncertainty and unpredictability are ubiquitous - CKG offers a partnership grounded in experience, reliability, and a shared commitment to doing things right from the very start.

About our partner: CKG is a sustainable manufacturer with 50 years in the manufacturing industry. With a main office in Hong Kong and Shanghai, the company has solid sourcing capability, catering to men, women, and kids' fashion, they offer competitive prices and maintain low minimums, ensuring flexibility and accessibility for brands of all sizes. Find out more at https://www.chengkung.com/about and get in touch today.