As Creative Director and Co-Founder of his eponymous label, Phillip Lim sits at the helm of a now 14-year-old pioneering modern luxury brand.

Lim was born in Thailand in 1973 to Chinese immigrants who fled to Southern California to escape Cambodia’s civil war. Upon arriving in California, his mother found work as a seamstress and his father became a professional poker player. Lim studied finance at California State University Long Beach, but after 3 years, switched his focus to a degree in home economics.

A weekend job at Barneys Beverly Hills led to an internship with Katayone Adeli, and eventually, a position on her design team. When Adeli relocated to New York, Lim remained in Los Angeles and co-founded his first label, Development. After four years at Development, Lim relocated to New York to launch 3.1 Phillip Lim, his most personal collection to date, with business partner and friend, Wen Zhou.

Lim is recognized as one of the most talented and successful young American designers and is the recipient of several prestigious industry honors including the Fashion Group International’s Women’s Designer ‘Rising Star’ Award, the CFDA Swarovski Award for Womenswear, the CFDA Swarovski Award for Menswear, and the CFDA Award for Accessories Designer of the Year.