A pile of donated neckties doesn’t look like much. Pinstripes, paisleys, faded silks in colours that went out of fashion years ago. But in the hands of Les Beatitudes Foundation’s sewing mothers, those discarded ties become something entirely new — vibrant collage art that tells a story of transformation, creativity, and second chances.
On 10 September, Peak II Foundation was invited to join a Collage Art Workshop at Ronald McDonald House Charities (Kwun Tong), where families with hospitalised children gathered around tables covered in fabric scraps, scissors, and glue — and, for an afternoon, traded the weight of their daily worries for something lighter.
Neckties, Reimagined
Upcycling donated neckties into art is the signature craft of Les Beatitudes Foundation — and it carries a quiet metaphor that no one needs to explain. Materials that were discarded and overlooked are transformed into something beautiful and valuable. The women who do the transforming were themselves once overlooked — grassroots mothers, women who arrived in Hong Kong without a support network or a sense of belonging.
Through Les Beatitudes, they learned to cut, layer, and stitch these fabrics into intricate designs. Through years of practice, many have become highly skilled artisans. And on this September afternoon, they weren’t students anymore. They were the ones running the workshop — guiding RMHC families through the process of creating Mid-Autumn Festival themed collages, sharing techniques, and showing participants how a strip of old silk can become a glowing moon, a lantern, or a rabbit leaping across fabric.
Led by artist Grace Tam, with the sewing mothers as facilitators, the session filled the room with colour, conversation, and the kind of focused calm that creative work uniquely provides.
Why Art Matters in a Place Like This
Ronald McDonald House is a home away from home for families whose children are undergoing hospital treatment. The days are long. The uncertainty is constant. For parents and siblings, the emotional toll can be as heavy as the medical one.
A collage workshop won’t change a diagnosis. But for two hours, it gave families permission to think about something other than their child’s next appointment. A mother who spends her days in a hospital ward found herself carefully choosing fabric patterns. A child recovering from treatment laughed when her lantern collage turned out lopsided. A father who had barely spoken all week quietly produced a moonlit scene that surprised everyone, including himself.
Art does something that practical support cannot: it reminds people that they are more than their circumstances. That they can still create. That beauty is still possible, even in difficult seasons.
The Full Circle
Consider the journey that unfolded in that room:
A corporation donated its old neckties — materials it no longer needed. Les Beatitudes Foundation collected them, and trained grassroots mothers to transform them into art. Peak II Foundation funded the programmes that equipped those mothers with skills and confidence. Those mothers then walked into Ronald McDonald House — not as recipients of charity, but as workshop leaders — and guided families in crisis through an afternoon of creativity and connection.
The neckties were upcycled. So were the women. So was the afternoon.
That is the multiplier effect — not as an abstract principle, but as something you could see and touch in every collage pinned to the wall by the end of the day.
About Our Partners
Les Beatitudes Foundation empowers grassroots women through its signature upcycled necktie art programme. Since 2014, the Foundation has trained over 1,000 mothers in sewing and collage making — transforming donated corporate neckties into art pieces sold at venues across Hong Kong, while transforming the women themselves from isolated newcomers into skilled artisans and community leaders.
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) provides a home away from home for families with seriously ill or hospitalised children, offering accommodation, nutritious meals, and emotional support so families can stay close together during treatment.
At a Glance 🎨 Mid-Autumn Festival themed collage art workshop 👔 Created using upcycled donated neckties — Les Beatitudes’ signature craft 👩🎨 Led by artist Grace Tam, facilitated by trained Les Beatitudes sewing mothers 👨👩👧 RMHC families with hospitalised children participated 💛 Mothers who once received support are now the ones leading the room
At Peak II Foundation, we believe empowerment isn’t complete until the person you’ve invested in is standing at the front of the room, teaching someone else. This workshop was proof of exactly that — and a reminder that a donated necktie, in the right hands, can become a work of art and an act of care at the same time.
2025年9月10日，崇嶺基金會受邀參加由愛連心慈善基金主辦的拼貼藝術工作坊，該活動在觀塘的麥當勞叔叔之家舉行。在這個充滿創意的活動中，縫紉媽媽和家舍病童及其家庭利用循環再用的領呔發揮想像，創作出一幅幅美麗的拼貼畫作，展現了他們的藝術才華和個人風格。
崇嶺基金會專注於提升各年齡層的自信心，幫助他們塑造未來。而愛連心慈善基金則通過藝術和手工藝賦能基層女性，不僅提供居家工作的機會，更透過各種活動讓她們擴闊眼界，增進社會服務的經驗和技能。兩者都認識到個體的潛力，並致力於幫助他們實現自我價值。通過支持愛連心慈善基金，我們相信不僅是在幫助需要幫助的人，更是在參與一個推動社會正向變革的運動。
此次以循環再用的領呔進行的拼貼工作坊由愛連心的縫紉媽媽們主導，藝術家譚嘉欣（Grace Tam）擔任指導。在輕鬆愉快的氛圍中，我們共同創作了以中秋節為主題的藝術作品，迎接滿月和佳節的來臨。每一幅美麗的拼貼作品都由個人獨特的魔法觸感創作而成，充分體現了藝術的力量和創造力。
