Being from a very traditional Chinese-American family, my parents believed the only options to have a successful life were to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer or a business person.

Laird Borrelli of Vogue praised his work as a "pretty-but-cool clothes" that "don't try too hard". His clothes were romantic and predominantly white with occasional navy and floral elements. In the fall of 2005 he co-founded 3.

1 Phillip Lim. In the fall of 2005 he co-founded 3. 1 Phillip Lim with friend and business partner Wen Zhou becoming the company's creative director.