Before heartthrob James Reid got paired with Devon Seron and reel-to-real sweetheart Nadine Lustre, his tandem with another fellow housemate Ann Li got us thrilled with their chemistry in and out of the Pinoy Big Brother house.
With her other mates pursuing their career in the local entertainment scene, Ann chose a different path and triumphantly taking the world of fashion by storm.
At 22, the Filipino-Chinese-Taiwanese beauty already holds a number of duties under her belt – fashion designer, entrepreneur, blogger, digital influencer, photographer, and philanthropist – and splitting her time in the Philippines, Taiwan, and France.
Having thousands of followers in her social media platforms, she’s definitely one of the most influential millennials in the world now.
The “Diligent Daughter of Taiwan” started designing the costumes she wore for her figure skating competitions. Her laudable flair in fashion and style was highlighted during her sojourn inside Bahay ni Kuya through one of their tasks that she successfully spearheaded. She also attended the Star Magic Ball 2010 and 2011 donning her own creations.
It was also in 2011 when Ann took home the Shorty Awards (the Oscars of Twitter) for Fashion defeating Hollywood stars Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and Taylor Swift, and got invited in the Philippine Fashion Week for two consecutive years by two different brands. She bagged as well the Ultimate Female Teen Fashionista and Most Popular Teen Star recognitions from two entertainment sites. Her own clothing line, DNA, was also launched.
Apart from taking a short course in fashion design in a local fashion institute, Ann’s abilities were honed through her internship under esteemed Pinoy celebrity stylist Bang Pineda from which she got the chance to lend her time and talent in styling the ASAP celebrity guests and to attend the International Fashion Tour held in New York City and Seattle. She also became a finalist for an international teen magazine’s video competition for Chanel.
Among the other global fashion brands she worked with are Hermes, COMME des GARCON, Calvin Klein, Marimekko, and Kenzo. She apprenticed as well for world-renowned designers Roberto Cavalli, Imane Ayisi, and Emmanuel Ungaro for the Paris Fashion Week in 2013.
It was in 2012 when Ann launched her photography blog AnnSnaps, which became a fashion, lifestyle, and travel webzine ANN LOUIE LI in 2016. She also shares her personal life to Vogue Taiwan as one of their official insiders through the column AnnSpeaks.
This year, she opened her wholesale distribution company Chrysogem, which supplies chrysocolla minerals to jewelry makers. She is also one of the faces for the Unkabogable Star Vice Ganda’s cosmetics line.
With her continuous success, Ann did not forget to give back to the society by being the founding ambassador of IMPCT, a global social enterprise for early education in urban slums that received the 2015 Hult Prize from former US President Bill Clinton.
Even before she skyrocketed to fame, Ann held fund-raising activities in the Philippines, such as auctioning her popular “yellow bunny hoodie” to help two elderlies who became their house guests and sponsoring a charity foundation during DNA’s runway event.
Thus, there’s no surprise when she made it to Forbes’ annual 30 under 30 Asia roster and is the youngest to be included in its “The Arts” category, alongside ex-Girl’s Generation member Jessica Jung and former EXO member Kris Wu.
Despite her brief stay in the local entertainment scene, many Pinoy fans are missing her and hopes that she would have an acting project here someday. We’re so proud of you, Ann!
PHOTO CREDIT: @annlouieli IG