Lili Zhang Zhao was born in Hangzhou, China—a city shaped by centuries of trade, craftsmanship, and cultural exchange. Her grandmother owned a silk house where materials were grown, woven, and sold, and where Lili’s earliest memories were formed through quiet acts of making and collecting.

Her formal training spans both fine art and design, East and West. She studied industrial design in Zhejiang, then ceramics and sculpture at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, graduating with the ChongLi Award—the highest honor for graduating students. Her ceramics work was collected by Brown University and by board members and trustees of the Rhode Island School of Design, where she later completed her graduate studies.

Lili spent over fourteen years in New York’s fashion industry designing for global brands including Kate Spade and Cole Haan. Over time, she became acutely aware of fashion’s accelerating pace—and what it leaves behind.

Bombyx House was born from a deliberate choice: not to chase trends, but to revive traditional techniques and transform them through modern design. Today, each piece is designed and handcrafted in the United States, shaped by Lili’s belief that the most meaningful objects are made with intention, material intelligence, and human touch.