The nominated students have excelled in areas linked to innovation and entrepreneurship and have proven to be good representatives of both Sweden and their own country.

We contacted Rachel Chuang to find out what it's like to be this year's Global Swede.

What does the nomination mean to you?

“The Global Swede Award means a lot to me as it is a recognition of my academic results, as well as my involvement and engagement in extracurricular activities. I believe I'm one of very few students from Taiwan who have been nominated for this award, and that means a lot to me, as it also manifests the ability and dedication Taiwanese students."

Why did you choose to study Textile Management

"I am inspired by different design approaches and advanced technology that can challenge the current status quo of the fashion industry. I’m encouraged to deepen and broaden my knowledge of the textile and fashion value chain. Therefore, I chose Textile Management for its well-balanced curriculum in business, textile-and-fashion applications, product development, retail marketing, and most importantly, the core of the programme, sustainability."

Why Sweden?

"Developed countries are leading design, marketing, and distribution strategies. Their leadership of the highest-value states of textile and fashion chain extends to the manufacturing processes in developing countries. Asia makes more than half the world's apparel and has a complex and holistic textile and fashion supply network. Yet the concept of a sustainable supply chain is not recognised by most residents in this region. How can we ask for more sustainable production processes when the suppliers and stakeholders have very limited knowledge about sustainability? To bridge the conceptual gap between upstream and downstream supply chains is where I see my potential and responsibility.

I seek notions that can challenge my existing ideas about the scope of sustainability practices in the textile and fashion industry. And I believe studying in Sweden, a sustainability-striving environment and culture, will give me the opportunity to reshape my perspective and develop my future career."

What are your plans after finishing your studies?

"My plan is to stay and work in Europe for a couple more years. But a long-term plan is to bring back new notions of what I learned here at the Swedish School of Textiles to Asia, and be a strong drop of water that echoes with others to create ripple effect. Even though we're living in the post-internet world, developed countries are still leading design, business strategies, and technology."

Nomination

Rachel Chuang has excellent academic results as a Master's degree student of Textile Management at the University of Borås. In a situation marked by the pandemic, she has shown great commitment to keep the network among students strong and has raised her voice to advocate for them. It is therefore with great pleasure we have nominated Rachel for the Global Swede Award. We are confident that she will be an excellent ambassador, both for the University of Borås and for Sweden.

About Global

Swede Every year, the Swedish Institute and the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs organise a ceremony where overseas students at Swedish higher education institutions are appointed Global Swede. The purpose of the ceremony is to draw attention to foreign students and their importance as ambassadors for Sweden. To excite and engage these students to maintain their relationship with Sweden and their higher education institution after completing their studies and to act as ambassadors for their country's relations with Sweden, as a potential resource for Swedish business on the ground in their home country and as ambassadors for Sweden as a destination for higher education.

Read more

Master Programme (One Year) in Textile Management

This year's Global Swede Award

Information for international students at the University of Borås