An Interview with Raeann Lim
by Serena McKenzie
Student designer Raeann Lim takes St Andrews’ style scene by storm
The St Andrews fashion scene is bursting with creativity and individuality. Students strut down Market Street in style and waltz into the library in their wacky outfits that are more often than ever thrifted or sustainably sourced. Yet, the most creative students in the style scene are sustainably handcrafting their own wardrobe to wear to university. I sat down with the talented fourth-year student crochet designer Raeann Lim to discuss her creative process and to understand the inspirations behind the unique clothing pieces she creates.
When and how did you learn to crochet?
I learned to crochet in 2019 on YouTube.
What inspires your designs?
I used to go on Pinterest, but I found that when you go on Pinterest for inspiration you tend to copy quite easily so I’ve stopped doing that now. I’ve started looking at the textures of different fabrics instead, or pictures, and just making a general mood board. Instead of looking at clothes for inspiration, I look at sceneries and things like that.
‘The Pyramid Bralette’, crocheted October 2023.
What has been your favourite crochet project to date?
The green ‘Algae dress’ I made, the one that is mesh and see-through. I really like that piece because it is one of the more original things I have made; I designed it from scratch basically. It’s a freestyle crochet piece inspired by stock images of bioluminescence. That project is definitely my favourite.
Raeann’s favourite crochet piece, the ‘Algae dress’, pictured above on two models. Crocheted in June 2023.
Who are your favourite designers? Can we see elements of their work in your designs?
My favourite designer is probably Vivienne Westwood but no, I wouldn’t say I take any sort of inspiration from her because I feel like it’s quite hard to incorporate elements of runway fashion into crochet. At least I’m not there yet. I would like to be there but no, not yet.
How do you incorporate sustainability into your Artistry?
I try to thrift my yarn but when this is not possible, for example when there’s a specific type of yarn that I really want to use, I look for it on Depop, Vinted, or eBay where you can find second-hand yarn. So, either I thrift my yarn or I just try to be more mindful about how I shop for my yarn because it’s quite easy to over-consume craft supplies.
What are some tips for someone looking to start crochet?
I would recommend just learning all of the basics on YouTube because there are tons of videos out there. But don’t take too long to start a project; make a tote bag or something easy and just learn from there instead of perfecting your basics.
How would you describe the process of how you start a project?
I don’t really plan out everything specifically, I just kind of have a rough idea of whether I want to make a top, or whether I want to make dress for example. Then I start thinking about how to make it based on the skills I have. If it’s a dress, I would know I need to make a front panel, a back panel, and sleeves. Then I start working from the top to the bottom. I also think about how I want the sleeves to fit or if it is going to be sleeveless or not. I work on the sleeves, moving down to the torso area, and think about how I want it to look. I put it all together in that process, but I don’t really plan anything too far in advance.
‘The Meadow Top’, crocheted November 2023.
What made you choose crochet over other mediums?
I really liked crochet because I wanted to make stuff that was wearable. I tried sewing and I’m just not good at it, I don’t know how to cut patterns. For sewing I feel like you need a huge clear space to cut your patterns and I just don’t have space because I’m messy. I also tried knitting and I couldn’t pick that up because I just didn’t have the coordination!
Finally, where are you looking to take crochet in the future?
I don’t currently have plans to make it a business as I don’t operate at that capacity. I instead want to focus on making more pieces that are original and different.
‘The Thinking Cap’, crocheted May 2020.
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