My name is Ilia Li (ee-lee-ah lee; they/them).
I am a Maine-based (USA) Chinese-American clothier and costumer/cosplayer. I am a queer, neurodivergent, Chinese adoptee and my work is strongly inspired by my intersectional identities. I seek to harmonize traditional Chinese clothing (known as hanfu) aesthetics, historical fantasy, and comfortable sensory-friendly design.
I am a one-person small business and all of my pieces are made by me, from design to drafting to creation.
At the heart of my design is a sense of calligraphic inspiration.
Chinese calligraphy is deeply shaped by Daoist philosophy, in that the brush strokes are a reflection of the artist’s inner balance and emotion flowing naturally—Much like the waves shaping the rocky Maine shore. Each piece is the immortalization of a single moment and the emotions, motion, and touch of the human hand will never happen again in quite the same way. This means that each piece I make is one-of-a-kind, I will never remake a design in the exact same way a second time. If it is a style that you like and a size that fits you, then the red thread of fate that has brought you together, from my hands to yours.
Today, mass-produced fast fashion which is designed to be discarded and made under unethical working conditions is taking over the fashion industry. I aim to combat this by returning to “slow fashion”: pieces that are well-made to last by a craftsperson you can get to know.
My path has not been linear, but I am returning to my roots both culturally and creatively.
I began sewing in 2012, at the start of my teen years, and am largely self-taught. I was a cripplingly shy child and after making my first Halloween costume I noticed I was more confident in costume and things snowballed from there! As I got older and began to process my Chinese-American identity, making historical Chinese clothing became a poignant way to connect with my heritage. Notably, I apprenticed at the Maine State Music Theatre Costume Shop in 2015 and studied bespoke tailoring at the London College of Fashion in 2016.
You might think the logical next step would be to pursue the arts, but driven by an interest in how the human mind works, I chose to pursue Neuroscience. I graduated from Wellesley College in 2020 with a BA in Neuroscience, fully intending to pursue a career as a research scientist developing neurotechnology. After working as a research technician working on Alzheimer’s Disease drug development at Weill Cornell Medicine for several years, I began a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania with plans to complete my thesis in spinal cord tissue engineering. In 2024, I realized that I was living for the expectations of others, and my heart wasn’t in research. I Mastered out of my PhD program and began preparations to launch my own clothing line.
When I’m not in my atelier…
I enjoy playing DnD/ttrpgs, growing tropical plants in the Maine climate, and hypnotizing lobsters (a trick I learned from the local fishermen).
While my transition to making clothing does mean I have stopped studying Neuroscience, it doesn’t mean I have stopped making costumes! If you are interested in keeping up with my costumes, please check out my costume socials: @ilia.li.cos on Instagram and TikTok! (I formerly published my costumes under the name fuwafuwanwan)
