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Collections
Four collections by DANLI. Open one to view the full project, page by page.
Assumptions of Tropes in Uniforms
Assumptions of Tropes in Uniforms examines the fragile architecture of connection within the controlled world of school.
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Breaking the Linear Bounds
In a world where titles, possessions, power, and status often define identity, the individual can become lost beneath the expectations attached to them.
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Colors of Whalien 52
Emotions are an internal sustenance, constantly reacting to and shaped by our external circumstances, relationships, and surroundings.
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Dreams: One's Fantasy, Another's Nightmare
Dreams exist somewhere between memory, desire, and illusion—a reality constructed entirely by perception.
View collection →Assumptions of Tropes in Uniforms
Assumptions of Tropes in Uniforms examines the fragile architecture of connection within the controlled world of school. The uniform becomes a paradox—an emblem of conformity transformed into a space for individuality, where disparate identities are bound together as a collective. Familiar school tropes—plaid, backpack, pencil, and spiral binding—are fragmented, distorted, and reimagined through surrealist leather molding, crocheted cables and metalwork, shibori, and sodium alginate dyeing. Rigid structures meet delicate ones; singular elements intertwine without losing their identity. Through material manipulation and surrealist reconstruction, the collection explores belonging not as uniformity, but as the fragile act of remaining distinct while becoming connected.
Awards
- Christopher Hunte “On Point” Design 2022 Awardee
Dreams: One's Fantasy, Another's Nightmare
Dreams exist somewhere between memory, desire, and illusion—a reality constructed entirely by perception. This collection explores the fragile boundary between the believable and the imagined, drawing from fantastical visions, psychic foretellings, fears, and nightmares. Digital and analog imagery become opposing yet intertwined languages for questioning what we consider real. The photographic lens appears to document truth, yet color, perspective, and atmosphere can distort it; painting, meanwhile, transforms reality through the human eye and hand. Neither medium offers an absolute truth—only another version of what was seen. Is it fantasy or nightmare? Reality or illusion? Ultimately, truth exists in the eye of the beholder.
Colors of Whalien 52
Emotions are an internal sustenance, constantly reacting to and shaped by our external circumstances, relationships, and surroundings. During adolescence, the search for identity and acceptance often leads us to hide our true selves behind different masks, ultimately creating a deeper form of loneliness: losing oneself in the process of fitting in. This collection explores loneliness through the 52 Hertz Whale, whose unique frequency is too high for other whales to hear, leaving it to endlessly call out without a response. Like a bubble encasing an individual, the whale becomes trapped within its own sound—seen, but not heard. The collection also references Library of Dust, where the intangible becomes tangible through the chemical transformation of copper cremation urns. Their varying patinas reflect how internal experiences can alter external appearances, echoing the way our emotions shape what the world sees.
Breaking the Linear Bounds
In a world where titles, possessions, power, and status often define identity, the individual can become lost beneath the expectations attached to them. Drawing from my experience as the eldest child, this collection explores the weight of familial responsibility and the loss of personal freedom that can accompany it. I felt suspended between decay and rebirth, constantly existing in a frozen moment between life and death—the quiet, monotone eye of the storm. Linear structures represent the boundaries imposed by both my family and the culture they embraced. The collection becomes a personal tribute to breaking these inherited boundaries and reclaiming the freedom to make choices for myself.
Techpacks
Factory-ready specifications across three fit blocks — points of measure, construction callouts and bills of materials. Opens as a dedicated page.
Garment Construction
Diagrams
Sewing and finishing diagrams — collars, cuffs, vents, belt loops and interior construction. Click any diagram to enlarge.
Resume
Technical & fashion designer based in New York. danlistudio.com · danli123.DL@gmail.com · (551) 999-3928
Experience
- Reviewed and approved 1,000+ fit and PP samples per season, achieving a 95% first-fit approval rate.
- Led weekly cross-functional fittings across athleisure silhouettes, communicating detailed fit and construction comments to 10+ global factory partners — improving sample accuracy and reducing rework time up to 40%.
- Reviewed and corrected 3,000+ factory-submitted patterns, stitching and artwork placements each season in CLO3D, ensuring precise alignment with design intent and production standards.
- Spearheaded seasonal reference charts clarifying fit, construction and technical trim, organizing archived garments to simplify new design processes — a 30% decrease in development time, adopted across cross-functional teams.
- Created 600+ tech packs, analyzing sample garments for quality and correcting patterns with fit changes from Senior Design Directors — contributing to 7 “Top 40 Best Sellers” in the second half of FY2023.
- Originated 15 illustrated construction standards for specific stitching and fusible applications, added to every tech pack to uphold consistency in bulk production.
- Streamlined factory late-tracking emails, flagging inconsistencies between bulk-approval and fit-sample arrival dates to prevent delivery slides.
- Stepped into de facto leadership of the Bottoms Technical Design function following the departure of the Senior and Mid-Level Technical Designers, assuming ownership of category strategy, workload prioritization, technical execution, and cross-functional communication.
- Produced jewelry and accessories shown in Resort 22 NYFW, instructing metalsmithing construction to senior designers — 40+ pieces across 24 looks.
- Constructed 20+ woven and cut-and-sew mockups and prototypes with an 85% approval rate, translating rough sketches into body-conscious silhouettes for Pre-Fall 22.
- Curated mood boards retrofitting Renaissance art to the Monse aesthetic, steering color, fit, silhouette and fabrication decisions for FA22.
- Experimented with shape-repetition fabric manipulations, ombré dyes and bleach techniques while integrating novelty fabrics, developing five new fabrication options for FA21.
- Cut and sewed the signature banana bag and banana keychain for production, sold at NYC’s Dover Street Market.
- Negotiated shipping alternatives with the factory, cutting production pricing 10–15% across packing and promotional products with lower minimum order quantities.
- Converted mood boards into 2D appliqué motifs in Adobe Illustrator — 10+ digital assets for print and embroidery production on accessories.
- Provided sourcing estimates and measurement specs, listing bills of materials for three accessory designs and reducing the sampling ratio by one fit sample per design.
Education
Awards
Skills
Languages — Fluent
Press
Selected coverage of the Pratt Institute Fall 2022 runway. Each entry links to the article.
About Me
I'm Dan Li, a fashion designer and jewelry maker focused on developing innovative, commercially relevant designs that combine distinctive creative vision with exceptional fit, comfort, and functionality.
With several years of experience across luxury, contemporary, and commercial fashion, I bring a detail-oriented approach to design while always making room for experimentation. I’m drawn to the balance between visual intrigue, comfort, functionality, and a precise fit. “Behind every stitch, a thoughtful design choice.”
When I’m not at my patterning table, you’ll probably find me slowing down with a film camera, photographing the little things in life that catch my attention.