Crafting Elegance Beyond the Runway
Cissy Li, photo courtesy of Cissy Li.
In 1991, Cissy Li was formally inducted into the esteemed Suzhou Institute of Silk Technology/Suzhou University, where she specialized in Fashion Performance and Apparel Design.
Upon her graduation in 1994, she secured a coveted position at the prestigious Beijing Fashion Performance Art Company. Advancing her academic pursuits, she relocated to Switzerland in 1998 for specialized studies. By the dawn of 2000, she was enlisted by the renowned Zoom Model Agency based in Milan, Italy.
In a testament to her unmatched prowess, Ms. Li was honored with the Best Performance accolade at the Global Asian Supermodel Competition held in Las Vegas in 2000. That same year, her exceptional talent was recognized as she emerged as the champion at the distinguished MAAI Model Competition in New York.
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In the bustling city of Suzhou, Cissy Li was born with an inheritance of grace and poise, her lineage tracing back to parents who danced professionally. This early immersion in the world of performance, combined with her natural stature, made her trajectory into the Fashion Design and Performance program at Suzhou University seem almost predestined. "At university, I nurtured a nascent passion: sewing. A craft I embraced wholeheartedly," Cissy fondly recalls, hinting at her later ventures into the meticulous world of hat-making.
Cissy Li's Modeling Journey in Europe, photo courtesy of Cissy Li.
The world has a way of recognizing beauty. Fresh out of academia, Cissy found herself gracing a television campaign. This was the 1990s — television reigned supreme. A Swiss university dean, on a sojourn to Beijing, chanced upon the advertisement. Captivated, he extended an invitation to Cissy that would change her life: a chance to study in Switzerland.
As we sat down in her elegant atelier, surrounded by glass sculptures catching the afternoon light, Cissy reflected on her transition to the global stage. By the turn of the millennium, she had clinched two coveted fashion awards in the U.S., and an Italian modeling powerhouse soon came calling. "Those were different times," she says, pausing to think. "Asian faces on the international runway? We were like rare birds amidst a flock."
Behind the glitz and glamour, however, lay trials. The challenges of a young Asian woman navigating the labyrinthine world of international fashion weren't minor. “Between the pressure of keeping up appearances and the back-to-back performances, I was on the edge,” she admits.
The hat is designed and handcrafted by Cissy Li, photo courtesy of Cissy Li.
A stint in Italy brought unexpected inspiration. Introduced to a Venetian glass workshop through a colleague, Cissy found herself entranced by the molten art. "It was a symphony of fire and form, orchestrated by burly Italian craftsmen," she describes. This fleeting dalliance with glass-making was to leave an indelible mark on her.
Life's tapestry is woven with threads of change. For Cissy, this meant relocating to the U.S., settling into marital bliss, and embracing motherhood. A period that could have signaled a retreat from the limelight. However, the narrative took an unexpected turn.
Cissy Li (Left) and Cindy Wang (Right), photo courtesy of Luna Hao, The Scholart(艺海藏家).
“It began innocuously,” she says with a chuckle, recounting the handmade hat she wore to a soirée, which became an instant conversation piece. Before long, her hats were coveted items, each taking weeks of meticulous crafting. But as the pandemic reshaped social norms, Cissy found herself pivoting once more — this time, back to glasswork.
From the catwalks of Milan to her current haven of creativity, Cissy’s journey is a testament to evolving passion. “The runway was someone else’s dream, a world where I was a mere player. But now? Now I create. I mold dreams with my hands, be it through hats or glass,” she reflects.
Cissy’s story isn't merely about transcending beauty norms but embracing skills and crafts that outlive fleeting glances and fleeting fame. In the grand tapestry of life, she has woven for herself not just a stage but an enduring legacy of elegance.