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, material sourcing 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, local design culture, and immersive creative practices. Her professional background spans industrial design, luxury fashion tailoring, operations, project management, 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 always encouraged me to pursue my interests and passions without limitation. From a young age, they supported my curiosity across different fields by enrolling me in classes for fine arts, sewing, dance, and music, and allowed me the freedom to explore what genuinely inspired me. I'm fortunate that they gave me the opportunity to travel and experience diverse cultures, which has influenced my overall perspective. 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 to dabble in the industry of my dream career is, and to accept related opportunities that come my way, big or small, because every experience is valuable. During my industrial design studies, I was encouraged to study abroad as it was a wonderful opportunity to gain new perspectives of design. My professor said, "Just do it, don't even hesitate. It's always a great opportunity." To this day, I highly value this experience and how it shaped my design approach.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't be afraid to take chances and opportunities that come your way, because no matter what the opportunity, the experience and skills learned will serve a purpose in the future. Whatever your goal, go for it! If you explore your passion in your personal life outside of work, divulge into it and bring it to light because personal projects are just as important.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges is in my field is sustainability. As product designers, we create objects that will one day be landfill, so we are constantly thinking of ways to prolong product lifecycle and renewable materials. As for opportunities, there's opportunity for creatively repurposed products and renewable materials. In the soft goods realm, fabrics made from recycled materials and smart fabrics allow us to explore new applications for everyday life.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In both my work and personal life, I value kindness, inclusivity, creativity and collaboration. I believe kindness sets the foundation for meaningful and positive interactions, while inclusivity fosters trust, collaboration, and understanding in any environment. Creativity and collaboration combined results in new discoveries and unique solutions for an improved quality of life.
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