Womenswear designer Xiao Li has been turning heads since 2012, when her pastel-hued, “marshmallow” knitwear won her the Pitti Filatti “Feel the Yarn” prize. Since then, the Shanghai-born creative has been no stranger to accolades — from the Lorna Piana award to the Diesel International Talent prize to the LVMH prize shortlist, Li’s imaginative grasp of design, knit and texture has got the industry talking. Her puffy, voluminous silhouettes and whimsical prints have won her legions of high profile fans, including Carla Sozzani and the late Azzedine Alaïa, to name but two. But despite widespread cheering from the fashion front benches, the London College of Fashion and Royal College of Art graduate is yet to participate in any on-schedule runway shows — until now, that is.
Later today, Li will present her hotly anticipated SS19 collection at her first on-schedule London Fashion Week show, and we can’t wait to see what she has offer. If her previous collections — and the exclusive preview shots of the SS19 collection she shared with us below — are anything to go by, we can expect an experimental approach to form and fabric, oversized outer garments, billowing trousers, structured knits and quite probably, some dreamy bubblegum confections. In light of her official LFW debut, we catch up with the trailblazing design talent to talk her 14 fashion firsts.
First fashion memory…
My mum got me a white ruffled shirt when I was four or five years old, but it went missing after just one wash. It’s a piece I will always love and remember because I only wore it once.
When did you first become interested in fashion?
I became interested in fashion when I was little, probably about five. I didn’t want to be a fashion designer, I didn’t even know what a fashion designer was, but I just loved clothes. My mum tells me I got given this yellow dress as a gift from my auntie and I wore it all the time and cried when it was in the wash.
First item of clothing you bought…
I can’t remember exactly the first fashion item I bought, but I would go shopping with my parents to get new clothes during Chinese New Year — this was such a big deal for me and is the first thing I remember.
First teenage style phase…
I had this red PVC puffer coat for the winter months and Chinese New Year.
First fashion icon…
My mum.
First fashion faux-pas?
When I was about seven years old, my mum forced me to wear these black bow-tie shoes. We went to a meeting with every class at my school and I couldn’t focus because I thought everyone was looking at my ugly shoes!
First stylish city to make an impression on you…
London — everyone here has their own individual style and their own personality when it comes to their style here.
First internship…
Alexander McQueen.
First job…
Knitwear designer at JW Anderson.
First feeling of wanting to be a designer…
I watched TV programmes like Project Runway before high school, which really inspired me, but at this time I just didn’t see it as a possibility — I didn’t think I would be able to become a fashion designer, which made me sad.
First piece of designer clothing you owned…
A navy Walter Van Beirendonck sweatshirt with a teddy bear graphic print on it.
First major design inspiration…
The inspiration for my MA collection was based around knitwear, I wanted to push knitwear to be more clean, modern and innovative. Knitwear can be drapey and loose, but I wanted to structure it in an architectural way, with sporty fabrics and silicone, using colour and structure.
First piece of good advice…
My MA tutor, Sarah, at RCA taught me the importance of primary research and how to conduct my own investigations. This really developed me as a designer and brought me to where I am now.
First on-schedule runway — how do you feel?
I am really excited to be showing independently on schedule at LFW. This is a move in the right direction for my brand, opening up to new markets and becoming a more established womenswear brand.
Images by Gomez de Villaboa.