Mediacorp star Edwin Goh could never get the hang of crocheting when he was first introduced to the craft by his girlfriend (and co-star for Mediacorp’s Strike Gold drama), Rachel Wan.
But seeing that her birthday was coming up a month later, he dedicated himself to mastering the craft to surprise Rachel with intricately crocheted scarves. What began as a heartfelt surprise quickly turned into a transformative experience for Edwin — the process of crocheting unlocked a world of meditative calm and boundless creativity for the actor.
As for Rachel, her crocheting journey began at the age of nine. She was captivated by the sight of her mother’s friend deftly manipulating yarn when she paid a visit to Rachel’s home. Curiosity led Rachel down a path of self-discovery, as she fell in love with the ability to shape vibrant threads into tangible works of art.
The shared passion for crocheting led the 28-year-old couple to start up their own crochet line, Unravel & in May.
Unravel & is the couple’s first business endeavour
Unravel & was fully self-funded by the couple, and marks their first entrepreneurial endeavour.
With Unravel &, Rachel and Edwin wanted to showcase crochet works that “embody contemporary vibes while preserving the time-honoured techniques of crochet”. Every piece sold by the brand are one-of-a-kind, and embody the individuality and creativity of the couple.
As for the name of the brand, Rachel said that she wanted to come up with “something that is not just memorable, but also personal”.
Crochet cannot be made by machine, and it is also rather forgiving when it comes to mistakes — you just have to pull and unravel it. When we crochet and unravel mistakes, it also feels like we are unravelling the noise in our heads.
We added the “&” at the back because we believe that we as humans are never just defined by one thing. We wanted our brand to represent how open-ended the possibilities are when it comes to crochet and in life.
– Rachel Wan, co-founder, Unravel &
Unravel & sold out its debut collection in just two days
The brand currently sells crocheted bags and hats, ranging between S$60 and S$165, as well as PDF copies of crochet patterns.
While these prices may seem steep, the brand experienced overwhelming success during its launch — in fact, their debut collection sold out within a mere two days.
We pretty much broke even after the first collection sold out, however, many told us that it’s a pity that we’ve sold out so quickly.
– Edwin Goh, co-founder, Unravel &
The brand also received immense support from the couple’s showbiz friends, including Chantalle Ng and Benjamin Tan.
Even without explicitly revealing the launch date to their friends, Rachel recalled that they were quick to show support — in fact, Chantelle made a purchase in less than a minute since the launch of the brand.
The journey of setting up Unravel & was a tough ride
Despite Unravel &’s success, Edwin candidly acknowledged that the journey of setting up and launching the brand was not without its difficulties.
The couple faced numerous challenges throughout the process, including creative blocks, perfecting website aesthetics, and managing packaging — the behind-the-scenes tasks that people often don’t see.
However, Rachel and Edwin’s partnership proved invaluable in navigating these obstacles. They leaned on each other for support and used their respective strengths to overcome the challenges they faced at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey.
For instance, the couple leveraged Rachel’s photography skills to capture photos of the products for their website and social pages.
There were challenges in every phase and I am eternally grateful for Rachel’s talents and hard work. I feel we help each other overcome a lot of things we face in this journey.
– Edwin Goh, co-founder, Unravel &
The couple plans to open a brick-and-mortar store
Unravel & unveiled its second collection just two weeks ago, and the response has also been nothing short of remarkable — as of writing, most of its products are already sold out.
Looking forward, Rachel and Edwin said they aim to open a brick-and-mortar store, where customers can take a look and feel their handmade products firsthand.
The brand also plans to onboard other crocheters onto the platform, to give these artisans the opportunity to showcase their skills and put their crafts in the spotlight.
Ultimately, the couple wants to spread awareness on the delicate craft of crocheting — it is an activity that requires intensive labour and consumes significant amounts of time, where every stitch is an embodiment of skill and artistry.
Featured Image Credit: Rachel Wan
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