Designer Yitao Li’s TAOTTAO has become one of fashion’s most buzziest emerging brands by treating clothes as a playground for childhood imagination. Founded in 2024, the label draws inspiration from vintage cartoons, video games, and the art of distortion—all channeled through garments that feel playful and sculptural yet wearable. The brand, which operates between Shenzhen, China and Jersey City, New Jersey, has gained momentum across the US, Europe, and Asia since its debut at New York Fashion Week in Fall 2024.
Li’s creative approach stems from her belief that fashion doesn’t have to be serious. She describes TAOTTAO as a “toy lab for experimenting with fashion as toys,” designed for adults who still want to play dress-up. Her unexpected silhouettes balance fantasy with everyday wearability, transforming familiar garments into something slightly surreal. “I like experimenting with shape, volume, and distortion to create pieces that feel playful and sculptural, but softer and less sharp than actual paper dolls,” she explains in an interview with Teen Vogue. Her color palettes often take cues from the faded-yet-vibrant tones of vintage cartoons from the 1950s through 1970s, while origami and paper-folding techniques inspire her approach to volume and silhouette.
The path to launching TAOTTAO was rooted in rigorous training. Li graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in 2021 after developing a strong foundation in technique and construction. She then spent time studying abroad at Polimoda in Florence and Central Saint Martins in London, broadening her design vocabulary. Her internships became equally essential: at Monse, she learned production, research, and sourcing; at Tibi, Thom Browne, and Kim Shui, she gained exposure to different corners of the design world. At Thom Browne, she admired how the team prioritized interns, encouraging them to understand the work around them.
That collection of experiences led Li back to Shenzhen, where TAOTTAO began taking shape in her home with her mother. The brand’s first collection, launched in Fall 2024, was nearly a year in the making. Li took on nearly every part of the process herself—designing, cutting fabric, researching materials, and managing production. Once complete, she reached out to U.S. PR firm Lindsey Media to help bring the brand to the world. Her NYFW debut caught the attention of major outlets: Vogue noted that “you’d never guess that Taottao’s flirty and fun collection was designed by a self-described introvert,” while Harper’s Bazaar and Fashionista both listed her among emerging designers to know from Fall 2024.
Launching the brand taught Li a critical lesson: designing and creation is only a fraction of the work. “Designing and creation is like 10% of the job,” she told Teen Vogue, reflecting on the realities of production, marketing, and business. With a limited budget for her first collection, the process forced her to confront a truth many young independent designers learn only after taking the leap—building a brand is about far more than the clothes themselves. The most personal lesson, however, has been learning when to let go. “I can’t do everything, so just trusting others to help me has been something I learned,” Li says.
Li’s experience mirrors a broader trend in contemporary fashion: young designers are bringing experimentation back into the industry, creating labels that feel like products of genuine curiosity rather than market calculation. Brands like TAOTTAO, alongside peers such as LII and Colleen Allen (who also debuted at NYFW Fall 2024), represent a generation prioritizing playfulness and individuality over rigid aesthetic rules. For Li, that spirit extends to how she sees her audience. She notes that in the US and Europe, there is more freedom to explore expressive dressing and a wider range of body types. “In China, there are still so many limits to body types and dressing more expressively,” she shares. TAOTTAO exists within that space of possibility—a brand encouraging its wearer to step outside the expected and rediscover the fun of getting dressed.
Based between Shenzhen and the US, Li is now looking toward building a stronger team around the brand. One of her goals for the coming year is to find a business partner who can specialize in the operational side of TAOTTAO, allowing her to devote more energy to the creative work that started it all. For a young independent designer who has spent years learning the language of fashion—from FIT’s technical foundations to the inner workings of established houses—Li is now writing a vocabulary of her own. TAOTTAO is still in its early chapter, but its identity is already clear: fashion can be abstract, sculptural, expressive, and most importantly, fun.
Sources
- Teen Vogue — Profile of Yitao Li and TAOTTAO’s founding, design philosophy, education, internships, first collection launch, and business lessons
- Vogue — Coverage of TAOTTAO’s Fall 2024 NYFW debut, design inspiration, and brand operations between Jersey City and Shenzhen
- Forbes — Confirmation of Li’s NYFW debut in 2024 with ready-to-wear collection featuring dresses, tops, and bodysuits
- Fashionista — Recognition of Li as an emerging designer making her NYFW debut in Fall 2024
- Harper’s Bazaar — Listing of TAOTTAO among emerging designers to know from Fall 2024
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