Yilou Yilou

Yilou Yilou is a Parisian clothing brand first launched in 2021 with a range of gorgeous knitwear, tops, dresses, accessories and swimwear.

Hoping to incorporate all of her passions into one, Yilang began the Yilou Yilou project with a love for clothes, drawing and photography after studying Art and Cinema but had no prior fashion or business experience. 

Yilou Yilou’s designs are created organically by Yilang as she explains that “I draw everything myself at home, on my iPad or on some paper and source my deadstock fabric in Paris. Then depending on if it’s a jumper or a piece of clothing I will work with my Barcelona manufacturer or Paris atelier to make a prototype.”

By creating pieces using deadstock materials, Yilang aims to produce less waste and “re-use fabric that has been abandoned”. Deadstock materials are considered to be the “leftovers” of the fashion industry that didn’t end up being used by other manufacturers or designers. If this fabric is not used elsewhere, it will most likely end up being disregarded in landfill. Therefore, when designers use this material, not only is it more environmentally friendly but also offers a level of uniqueness as this fabric can no longer be sourced elsewhere. Yilang emphasised that “I think there’s already so many clothes in the world so may as well try to re-use fabric”.

Since launching three years ago in December 2021, with the name Yilou and a whole different logo, the brand has come a long way and Yilang has since rebranded the entire image of Yilou Yilou “to fit what I actually liked to wear more. A simpler style focused on soft textures and classic shapes with a little twist.” Yilang explained that the first clothes that were launched were very centered around prints and patterns in knitwear after “discovering the world of fabric printing and intarsia knitwear” and was having “a lot of fun creating organic and curving prints.”

Now her own boss, Yilang explained that being a business owner is “very hard, especially when you are on your own” but followed up that it’s also “very gratifying when everything is going well.” Adding, “I get to choose how I spend my workdays, and most of the time I can work from home or anywhere really. It is amazing to see a project that you imagined in your mind come to life, and constantly evolve with you. It is also very strange and amazing to see other people wearing your designs.”

After recently holding a successful pop-up in London, Yilang hopes for a potential Yilou Yilou pop-up in Paris next year. As a result of this year’s pop-up store, the brand received lots of attention and messages from customers who’d purchased Yilou Yilou pieces, with Yilang mentioning that “it really touched me!”