About Us

Ai YiYi is a hip, unique, casual lifestyle brand." I am fearless, I am free, to express to be me". AyYiYi is for the versatile and free spirited person. This eclectic brand was created during the spring of 2011 by Carmen Toranzo and Caryl Lombardo Petersohn. Today, Carmen's grandson, Jake T. Austin, lends his wonderful designs to our brand.

Carmen is a resident of Manhattan who grew up in Argentina. As a small child she was exposed to the art of dressmaking and that was the beginning of her love affair with the art of design.

Eventually this led Carmen to pursue a career in fashion. She attended F.I.T. As a designer she traveled and worked extensively in Asia and Europe, where she was able to cultivate her design skills and perfect her craft. She has had the opportunity to be a Design Director to a major fashion establishment in New York and Europe.

Carmen has passed down her creativity to her grandson Jake T. Austin. Together Carmen and Jake inspire each other and support each one's career. They sketch, paint and draw together. Her articulate details combined with her innovative designs create hip denim designs and unique skirts worthy of the expression "AyYiYi".

Caryl resides on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with her family. A native New Yorker who graduated St. John's University with a B.S. in Finance and then continued her education at St. Vincent's Hospital School of Nursing. There in the West Village in the mid nineties she met Giny, Carmen's daughter. Hence a friendship till this day is what brought Caryl to connect with Carmen and find her love for the fashion world.

Caryl descended from an Italian father and a Puerto Rican mother, she feels both cultures have influenced her fashion sensibilities. Sharing her life with her 8 year old daughter, a budding fashionista, piqued her interest in design and continues to inspire her.

Find Unique Skirts and More at AyYiYi