20 Year Success Story – Li Bo

Founder of OVONZO

A pure science and maths man by training, Li Bo built a leading position in the faux fur coat category. But a piece of market research led him to turn toward fully plant-based fashion. 

A turning point

Li Bo’s starting point had nothing to do with animal protection. A pure science and maths student, he studied applied mathematics, completing an integrated bachelor’s-to-master’s program in Russia in the 1990s, where dense maths textbooks forced him to develop a formidable capacity for self-study. After returning to China, he worked as a programmer at a futures company, then spent three years honing his skills in a management consulting role at Fudan University — his first real step from the world of pure science into the world of business.

Around 2009, he started his own venture. As the cross-border e-commerce wave took off, he set his sights on faux fur coats: a coat that cost 400 Yuan (58 USD) to produce could sell for 700 USD — a tempting profit margin. “Back then, it was really about the profit,” he admits. Drawing on the marketing foundation he’d built up earlier, he became one of the first major sellers in China to break into Amazon.

The turning point came at the time he was preparing marketing materials. He immersed himself in research, originally intending to highlight the point of “how cruel it is to kill animals” for fur. But as he kept reading, what truly moved him wasn’t marketing language — it was the raw, brutal truth.

Every year, tens of millions of animals are currently slaughtered for the fur industry. China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of animal fur and ACTAsia’s long-term research reveals a chain of harm behind fur production — animal welfare violations, the risk of zoonotic diseases, exposure to highly toxic chemicals, high carbon emissions, and environmental pollution.

Li Bo says: “I set out to study this so I could sell my product better, but in the end, I educated myself.”

“What I found was harrowing. I felt this was something I simply couldn’t be involved with.” In that moment, a simple conviction took root in him — “My bottom line: I can’t harm animals.” 

A bag as a form of expression

After giving up on faux fur, Li Bo moved into cross-border e-commerce operations, partnering with Youha, a bag brand once found in stores across the country. Those bags were made of PU material — while it didn’t involve animals, it came with its own shortcomings: it wasn’t environmentally friendly, and it would flake and degrade with use. “It’s very unfriendly to the environment, and the quality isn’t great either,” he said. 

What truly sparked something in him was his first encounter with vegan leather while abroad. “It resonated with who I am.” In his view, a bag is never just an object — it’s a person’s expression to the outside world. For women especially, a bag carries a person’s character and taste.

“I felt the market was missing a kind of bag that speaks for vegetarians and vegans.” What he wanted to create were bags that people drawn toward inner peace and calm would want to carry. Since nothing like that existed domestically, he decided to try making it himself.

In 2020, OVONZO was born. When he started out, he posted his very first video on Xiaohongshu (RED) — and to his surprise, it brought in over a thousand likes and over a thousand followers. “Everyone kept saying the domestic market was hard to crack, but when I saw that, I thought — this is actually workable.” 

Turning plants into bags

The proportion of plant-based material in OVONZO’s bags has gradually increased. In the beginning, it was only ten to twenty percent, with the base material still relying on hydrolysed nylon microfiber.

Later, OVONZO partnered with Anli Materials, using corn stalks to push the plant-based content up to 50%. Then, working together with Shanghai Yiru on mycelium research and development, they steadily brought the content up to around 80%, with a maximum of 85%. 

Mycelium is the mass of thread like strands that act as the root-like structure of fungus. This same material now also supplies international brands such as Balenciaga and Longchamp.

None of these steps came easily. A higher proportion of mycelium compromises the softness and smoothness of the material; the cost of innovation is extremely high, and even once something is developed, the market may not accept it. 

For five or six years, OVONZO essentially ran at a loss, using income from foreign trade to subsidise this difficult path. “The early period was a low point — things have brightened now because of the persistence we held onto along the way.” 

But the achievement Li Bo values most isn’t reflected in the balance sheet. Over a decade of meditation practice, a plant-based diet, and running have helped him hold onto a steady state of mind under the heavy pressures of entrepreneurship. “Meeting the chaos of impermanence with a calm inner mind” is the philosophy he places in every bag. 

Walking with ACTAsia: growing compassion sustainably

Li Bo’s connection with ACTAsia began through a friend’s introduction. After an in-depth conversation with founder Pei Su and reading her book, he came to deeply admire an organisation that has a twenty-year history. 

In 2024, OVONZO officially joined the international Fur Free Retailer (FFR) program promoted by ACTAsia. “It’s a good thing to have more people join in, especially within the fashion industry.”

This choice aligns closely with the fur-free philosophy that ACTAsia has long promoted — bringing fashion back to a shared concern for people, animals, and the environment, which is precisely the statement this plant-based bag is meant to carry.

Turning to the next generation, Li Bo hopes that Caring for Life education can be approached from a more international, longer-term perspective, so that children can achieve truly “sustainable growth.” “By sustainable, we mean the sustainability of life, and the sustainability of living.” 

This quietly echoes ACTAsia’s focus on children’s Caring for Life education, nurturing the next generation through empathy, responsibility, and critical thinking.

From wanting to sell a faux fur coat, to a plant-based bag that speaks for vegetarians and vegans, Li Bo has gradually let a desire for success become a genuine care for life. 

Thank you to Li Bo and OVONZO for their recognition and support in promoting ACTAsia’s international Fur Free Retailer (FFR) program! May this shared concern for people, animals, and the environment be part of all you do.

As ACTAsia looks toward its next 20 years, we invite you to be part of the story. Learn how you can get involved and consider donating today. 

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