i. Biography
Claudio Liu’s work is anchored in Milan, where three founding roles define the shape of his record. IYO, founded in 2007, set the first marker; IYO Omakase, founded in Milan in 2019, and AALTO, founded in Milan in 2019, followed as two more fixed points in the same city.
The Path
The founder role is the through-line in Claudio Liu’s career. IYO, founded in 2007, established the base; IYO Omakase and AALTO, both founded in 2019, extended that base in Milan. Read together, the three roles show a career that has remained centered on building in the same market, with 2019 standing out as the year when the line widened most visibly.
The Work Today
Founder titles define Liu’s present-tense public identity, and they do so in one city. That matters in trade terms: the work is legible as a practice of establishing and holding multiple projects rather than dispersing into different lanes. Milan is the constant here, and it is the frame that gives the career its structure.
Signature
The signature set attached to Claudio Liu is not a dish list so much as a group of named houses: IYO Omakase, and AALTO. In that sense, the signature is the founding imprint itself. Each name marks a separate project, but together they read as one body of work, identified through the venues he established.
Acclaim
The clearest point of recognition is the pairing of two 2019 founder roles in Milan. That makes 2019 the key year in the record, with IYO Omakase and AALTO landing alongside the longer-running IYO foundation from 2007. The distinction lies in that concentration: a single city, a single year, and a set of roles that define Claudio Liu’s standing.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Claudio
How did Claudio Liu get started?
He is identified through founder roles in Milan.
What is Claudio Liu best known for today?
He is best known for AALTO and IYO Omakase, both founded in 2019 in Milan.
