Her Story
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth Yau is a Soft Goods Lead and industrial designer with a strong passion for creating thoughtful, functional, and aesthetically refined solutions that enhance everyday life. She is dedicated to using design as a tool for positive impact improving human experience, supporting well-being, and enriching culture while maintaining a strong respect for sustainability and nature. Her work is grounded in empathy, creativity, and a deep understanding of how design influences daily interactions and experiences.
She currently serves as Soft Goods Lead at Blueprint Studios, where she oversees custom design projects from initial concept development through prototyping and final production. In this role, she manages the full lifecycle of soft goods products, including pattern making, fabrication, and quality assurance for event and production sets. She has also led efforts to streamline departmental workflows, improve inventory systems, and enhance operational efficiency. Her role requires close collaboration with cross-functional teams across production, logistics, sales, and operations to ensure seamless execution and high-quality outcomes.
Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Product Design from San José State University and completed international study at ENSCI – Les Ateliers in Paris, where she explored art installation, design culture, and immersive creative practices. Her professional background spans industrial design, tailoring, operations, marketing, and customer experience, contributing to a versatile and well-rounded design perspective. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys surfing, sewing, building models, practicing French, staying active, and spending time with her dog, continually drawing inspiration from creativity and everyday life.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Elizabeth
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success primarily to my parents, who consistently encouraged me to pursue my interests and passions without limitation. From a young age, they supported my curiosity across different fields and allowed me the freedom to explore what genuinely inspired me. Their encouragement and belief in my abilities helped me build confidence, stay motivated, and ultimately shape the path I’ve taken in my personal and professional growth.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I was ever given was, if there's a specific industry that's in my end goal, or my dream career is in a specific industry, be sure to dabble in it, and pick all the opportunities that come my way that pertain to that industry. I know this is not, like, career, but when I was studying my degree of industrial design, I was encouraged to study abroad and gain a new perspective, and the professor said, just do it, don't even hesitate. It's always a great opportunity. You're never gonna regret it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be afraid to take chances and any opportunities that come your way, because no matter what the opportunity in the field, it will serve some sort of purpose in the end. If there's something they want, they should go for it. And also, I think a lot of times, if their passion is something that they do in their personal time outside of work, divulge into it. Because personal projects matter, too.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Biggest challenge is in my field, I think, sustainability is one of them, because people are always trying to, or are people in the sustainability industry always trying to figure out how to decrease, or how to control textile landfill, because it's at some point, it doesn't become recyclable. As for opportunities, I think there's definitely opportunity for renewable and new materials and fabrics that have new technologies.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are kindness, respect for others, and self-respect. I believe kindness sets the foundation for meaningful and positive interactions, while respect for others fosters trust, collaboration, and understanding in any environment. Equally important is self-respect, which helps guide my decisions, maintain healthy boundaries, and ensure that I show up with integrity and confidence in all areas of my life.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.