WEN ZHOU

As chief executive of 3.1 Phillip Lim , Wen Zhou has earned the respect of the industry for her entrepreneurial mindset and can-do attitude, propelling the Phillip Lim business from fledgling start-up to international fashion brand — with retail stores in Tokyo, New York and Los Angeles and annual revenues exceeding $100 million.

Zhou’s skills in fabric sourcing and production management, as well as her sound business judgment, have enabled 3.1 Phillip Lim to offer a winning proposition, combining a strong fashion point-of-view, quality construction and more accessible price points, enabled by made-in-China production sourced via Zhou’s strong relationships in Asia.

Zhou told Time magazine, “The thing I remember from childhood is the soothing sound of my mother’s sewing machine putting me to sleep. I came from a town that had no plumbing, no heat, we were simply looking to survive. I wanted to do better.”