This KC fashion designer uses her passion for crochet to create custom women’s clothing
As a young child, Rachel Hughes filled countless notebooks with clothing designs she dreamed of bringing to life. However, as she grew older, her aspiration to become a clothing designer was gradually overshadowed by more practical career choices. After getting married, becoming a mother, and working as an accountant, Hughes began to feel the need to find a hobby to express herself creatively.
She never anticipated that one day she would discover crocheting on social media. Like many, she always thought of it as a skill used by grandmothers to create sweaters and scarves, unaware that it was actually a complex art form rarely seen due to its time-consuming nature. Inspired by her old design books, Hughes began to envision using crochet to create intricate clothing items such as dresses, tops, skirts and other pieces of women’s apparel.
For the past eight years, Hughes, owner of Studio Rae has been crafting custom crochet designs that have appeared on the runways of numerous fashion shows across the metro area and in other states.
Recently, Hughes sat down with The Kansas City Star’s culture and identity reporter, J.M. Banks to talk about rediscovering her passion for fashion, learning the complicated craft of crochet and dispelling the idea that crochet is more than baby clothes.
Can you begin by telling me about your early life and upbringing?
I was born and raised here in Kansas City and I went to Lincoln College Preparatory Academy for high school then the University of Missouri - Saint Louis. Growing up I used to carry around sketchbooks — probably since the second grade. I had these designs I would create and I never imagined one day I would be able to take my designs and put them on the runway. I have always been passionate about fashion I just never really knew how to get my ideas off the paper and execute them so I put that on the back burner and went into a field that was more practical.
What made you want to go into start creating clothing using crochet?
I am an accountant for my day job and I just had my son, who is 8 years old and I needed something to do outside of chasing him around after I got off work. I ordered a crochet head warmer someone had posted online and when I got it in the mail I was fascinated by it. I really wanted to know how to do this. I thought I could go on YouTube to try to watch some videos and maybe make some gifts. But it was a lot harder than I thought — it was very hard and it took me about a week to get even one stitch right.
Once I got that right I had the time to turn out a couple of scarves for Christmas. I really thought this was as far as you could take crochet. I have seen crochet scarves, baby stuff, booties and blankets but I thought that is all you could really do. As I started to watch more videos and learn more I realized that I could marry my hobby of crocheting with my dream of becoming a fashion designer to make clothes.
I think I would say probably about six months after learning how to crochet was when I really relaxed into it and thought, OK, I’m doing something. I think people will start seeing crochet pop up on your timeline more and more. I’m just happy to be apart of the movement.
How do you think crocheting enhances the uniqueness to a clothing item compared to other design techniques?
You don’t see a lot of it at the moment so it gives a woman a chance wear something completely unique. If a woman walks into a room with something that is crocheted, it is a good chance she will be the only person in the room since it is completely handmade. (Crochet, unlike knitting, cannot be replicated by machine.) I think it just gives a woman a lot of confidence to know that she’s going to be the only person in the room wearing what she has on.
To your knowledge were there any other local clothing designers that used crochet to create their clothing when you began?
In the area, no. Not to my knowledge at least. I saw some designers online that were starting to get into it. I have really gotten to be the one in the city that has championed elevating crochet onto clothing and extend it into KC fashion. I have gotten to do a lot of fashion shows and the majority of time I am the only designer utilizing crochet. That put the spotlight on me just because I’m doing something that no one else is doing but now I am beginning to see it a bit more.
Can you walk me through your creative process when designing a new piece and how long does it usually take you to create it?
It all begins in my head. Sometimes I will see some yarn or think of a design then start usually sketching it out. Sometimes I will completely wing it and see what it becomes without a plan or idea of the finished product. As far as the process is concerned, if the design is something that is very detailed it could take a month. Sometimes it can be tough to set time aside to step away from my world of being a mom, being a wife and having a day job to just crochet all day long. So something that could take 36 hours to make could be spread throughout the month. It just depends on my life and how chaotic it is at the moment.
How do you dispel those old-school perception of crochet when trying to it introduce alongside new-age fashion?
I dispel it by getting my work out there. I have done many fashion shows and so many people have stopped me to tell me that they didn’t expect to see crochet used like that. So many people already have a preconceived idea of what crochet is and what that looks like. Then they will see my crochet designs and that will completely change their thoughts. I really love to hear people saying that’s not what I expected because that means I am opening their minds and changing their ideas of what crochet could be.
What are the challenges that you face in your career?
The biggest challenge are the stores that sell what they call crocheted clothing, especially online stores. A lot of online fashion brands (who sell crocheted-appearing clothing) are typically machine made so it has a very standard look. Each of my designs are hand stitched and crafted individually so each one is different and unique. It can be hard when someone is comparing the prices and the store’s machine-made item is $20 and they expect me to match that price.
Most of the time that is not even the cost of materials. Going up against online stores is a big challenge trying to explain to people the value of handmade crochet items and the quality you get with something that has been uniquely crafted. A lot of the time the online stores doesn’t say if they are machine made and sometimes the item will just have a crochet print over fabric.
How do you feel your work impacts the community around you?
Influencing a lot of other crochet designers or crocheters in my community and showing them that they don’t have to just stop at blankets and scarves, they can expand that into fashion. I’m really excited about people embracing crochet in the fashion industry and I love that I can be a part of that.
Do you have a personal motto or philosophy that guides you?
Just keep going. Like I said, it took over a week for me to create 1 stitch and I got really frustrated and did not want to keep trying. I gave up several times and just like this is silly but I didn’t quit. I kept at it and kept trying new things.
What are your goals for the future?
I would love to see my work on athletes, on celebrities and to see my work on the red carpet. I’m trying to make as many moves as I can to make that happen.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to follow the same career path as yourself?
Do your research and really focus on the craft. I started crocheting everyday and worked at learning new techniques, stitches and yarns whenever I could. If you are really passionate about something you will have to put in the time and work to execute it.
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