Hats off to city's own milliner

Her designs, from "cat ears" to vintage veils and embellished pieces, reflect her experimental spirit and unique understanding of fashion, which have gained a large fan base and allowed her to become one of the best-selling hat designers of the country. Thanks to celebrities and influencers who wear her hats, such as actress Zhao Liying, singer Li Yuchun and actor-singer Wang Junkai, Li's brand has gained wider exposure in media and on the internet.

"I love using hats as a medium to express my ideas because, from a design perspective, it offers me the most freedom. There's no strict framework dictating what I must do and no right or wrong — just preferences," says Li, who worked at a fashion company right after graduation. The experience allowed her to discover a strong desire and spark to start her own brand. "What I've learned from clothing design has found its outlet here, allowing me to maintain my own aesthetic and sense of fashion, resulting in truly unique creations."

One of the first series that Li released soon after she launched her brand is called "cat ears", inspired by animals. "The position of human beings' ears is quite magical — they don't have much prominence. Unlike animal ears, which express emotions by perking up or flattening down, I wanted to place the hat ears in a more noticeable position rather than where human ears are located," she says. The earliest hat ears were made of metal, giving them a strong character and presence. This product series later became the brand's classic line, reappearing each year in different forms, while the metallic ear design has been a constant feature.

Later, she released a series called "fantasy and forest", which was also inspired by animals. Her design was all black, expressing the mystery of animals and the forest. The series featured the "cat ears" element, combined with different animals, such as tigers and rabbits.