Today we’d like to introduce you to RoseMarie Lewis.
Hi RoseMarie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My journey with crochet began more than two decades ago, but I never imagined where a hook and yarn would eventually take me. I taught myself how to create without relying on patterns, and over the years, that ability to see something in my mind and bring it to life through my hands became the foundation of YubeHandmade.
What started as a love for creating grew into a passion for fashion. I didn’t want crochet to be viewed as simply a craft or something our grandmothers made. I saw the possibilities of crochet as fashion, bold, sexy, sophisticated, luxurious and worthy of the runway. That vision has taken my work to fashion shows, swim weeks, magazines, television, and opportunities I once could only dream about.
My journey has also been one of resilience. After a life-changing accident in 2024, I suffered serious injuries and had to undergo multiple surgeries and rehabilitation. At one point, even crocheting, the thing I had done for so many years, became something I had to work my way back to. Returning to my hook meant much more than returning to my business. It was a part of finding myself again.
Today, I look at YubeHandmade differently. I’m not just making crochet clothing; I’m building a body of work and a legacy. Every collection represents years of experience, creativity, resilience and my belief that handmade fashion belongs in luxury spaces.
And I still feel like I’m just getting started. 🖤
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. Like many entrepreneurs, I’ve experienced the challenges of building a brand, staying consistent, financing my vision, finding the right opportunities, and continuing to believe in what I was creating even when the recognition didn’t always come immediately.
But my greatest challenge came after a life-changing accident in 2024. I suffered serious injuries that required surgeries, rehabilitation, and a long recovery. There was a period when I couldn’t create the way I once had, and because crochet had been such a huge part of my life for so many years, that was incredibly difficult for me.
I essentially had to find my way back to my craft, my business, and myself. There were moments when I questioned what the future of YubeHandmade would look like, but I never lost the vision.
Returning to fashion and seeing my designs on models and runways again has given everything a different meaning. I appreciate every opportunity more now, the shows, the photographs, the press, and even the quiet moments when I’m sitting with my yarn creating something new.
The struggles have changed me as a designer and as a woman. YubeHandmade isn’t here because the road was easy. It’s here because I kept going. And I think that resilience is stitched into everything I create.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work is centered around crochet fashion, but I consider what I do much bigger than simply making clothing. I’m a fiber artist and fashion designer, and I specialize in creating handmade pieces that celebrate individuality, femininity, confidence, and self-expression.
YubeHandmade is especially known for bold crochet swimwear, resort wear, dresses, and statement pieces. I love creating designs that make people stop and look, unexpected silhouettes, dramatic details, beautiful color, and pieces that photograph just as beautifully as they move on the body.
One of the things that sets my work apart is that I’ve spent more than two decades developing my craft, and much of my design process is intuitive. I can look at yarn and envision what it wants to become. I often create directly from an idea rather than relying on a traditional pattern, which allows my work to have its own recognizable point of view.
I’m also very intentional about presenting crochet as fashion. Crochet has sometimes been viewed as something crafty, traditional, or homemade. I want people to see that it can also be luxurious, sexy, editorial, sophisticated, and worthy of runways and fashion publications.
What I’m most proud of is seeing how far my work has traveled, from something created stitch by stitch with my own hands to being photographed on beautiful models, featured in fashion shows and publications, and worn by women who feel incredible in it.
But I’m probably most proud that after everything I’ve experienced, I’m still creating. Every piece requires time, patience, imagination, and thousands of individual stitches. There are no shortcuts to handmade.
That is what makes YubeHandmade different. You’re not just purchasing a crochet garment. You’re wearing a piece of art, a piece of my story, and something that was created to make you unforgettable.
What are your plans for the future?
For the future, I’m focused on growth, but intentional growth. I’ve spent years developing my craft and building YubeHandmade, and now I want to continue positioning the brand as a true fashion house where crochet is viewed as luxury, wearable art.
I’m looking forward to expanding my collections, especially my swim and resort wear, doing more editorial shoots and fashion shows, and creating opportunities for YubeHandmade to reach audiences outside of Michigan. I would love to continue seeing my designs on larger stages, in major publications, and eventually internationally.
I’m also interested in expanding beyond the clothing itself. I have my yarn collection, and I’m exploring ways to share more of the creative world behind YubeHandmade, the artistry, the process, the photography, the models, and the stories connected to the pieces. I want people to experience the brand, not just shop it.
One of the biggest changes for me personally is that I’m becoming much more selective about where I put my energy. I’m not interested in doing everything just to say I did it. I want the right collaborations, the right shows, the right opportunities, and the right people around the brand.
Ultimately, I want YubeHandmade to help change the way people think about crochet. I want someone to see an incredible crochet piece and think fashion first, not craft.
And I feel like I’m just getting started. 🧶✨
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yubehandmade.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yubehandmade
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yubesocute
