Rita Li always intended to become a womenswear designer, but after getting her puppy Rosie, she fell in love and switched sartorial gears. The San Francisco-based designer launched rororiri, designing high quality clothes for canines with an eye to comfortable silhouettes and a sense of timelessness and elegance.
Li has a thriving boutique in her hometown, and on Oct.27, she is bringing her fall puppy-to-wear designs to New York City with a one-day Pop-up at Hotel 50 Bowery in celebration of ASPCA’s Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month (a similar event is set at San Francisco’s Galleria Park Hotel on Oct.20).
Rororiri is a favorite of @officaldonnathedog, the sweet Chihuahua Terrier of our President and CEO Steven Kolb, so we decided to check in with the designer to talk about all things canine cool.
Tell us about your fashion background.
I went to fashion school at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. I graduated in 2013 with a Master’s degree in Womenswear. During the summer of 2012 and 2013, I interned under Marina Moscone at Peter Som in New York City. It was one of the most amazing experiences.
Why did you decide to move from ready-to-wear to dog clothes?
Upon graduating from fashion school, I was working on producing my own collection. I also got my first dog Rosie. As a fashion designer, I wanted to dress her. I had a hard time finding high quality dog clothing, therefore I started to make outfits for her. Every time I put a new garment on her, I felt tremendous joy – the joy of giving, loving and protecting. I was also receiving a lot of positive feedback about my designs. That’s when I decided to start rororiri.
Tell us about rororiri. What does it stand for and what was your goal when you launched it?
Rororiri stands for Ro-sie and Ri-ta. When I first launched it, I thought it’d just be my little brand that I design in my studio and ship from home. Little did I know I’d open a brick-and-mortar store, a second store, and now, it’s taking us to New York for a Pop-up!
Describe the differences between designing clothes for humans and for dogs?
Dog don’t speak. They can’t tell you how they feel when they wear clothes. I have to put myself into their “shoes” to feel the material and observe how the garments move when they walk, run, sit, do their business, etc.
Humans come in different shapes and sizes. Dogs come in a wider variety of shapes. Even dogs of the same breed can vary in all types of body shapes. This presents a challenge for pattern making.
What’s your personal favorite breed of dog?
Of course, my own dog’s breed maltipoo. Just like every owner who loves their own dog, I gasp every time I see a dog that looks like Rosie. I think all dogs are sweet, and I truly believe that “there are no bad dogs, only bad owners.”
What do you love about your career the most?
I feel very blessed that I love every bit of my job! They say, “Find a job you love and never work a day in your life.” I get to work with the two best things in the world – fashion and dogs!”
You have made outfits for @officialdonnathedog. What do you love about her style?
I was lucky enough to meet Donna last Christmas as Steven and Jay [Inkpen, Kolb’s husband] visited the San Francisco Bay Area. Donna is a cool girl with a lot of talents while staying very humble. She adds lots of attitude to all of her outfits – like a true New Yorker.
What excites you the most about the NYC pop-up?
NYC has always been one of my favorite cities in the world. I love visiting NYC, and I’m very excited to meet my NYC customers in person! Some of them have visited my store when they were in San Francisco and it always makes me very happy. It’s finally time for rororiri to be in NYC.
