Dreaming of the warm, sunny beach, Latin School senior Lucinda Winlaw spent her winter learning to crochet halter tops, strapless tops, and miniskirts.
“I’ve always been a crafty person and I’ve always loved making stuff with my hands,” Lucinda said. “I started with watching a few YouTube videos, and my love for crochet took off from there.”
After Lucinda made a few halter and strapless tops for fun, her friends told her they would buy them if she were to sell them. This encouragement led to the creation of Bilgola Beachwear.
“When I saw Lucinda’s clothes, I immediately knew that a business with them would take off,” junior Sam Micheli said. “They are so cute, and crochet is so popular for the summer!”
The name Bilgola Beachwear comes from Bilgola Beach in Australia, the beach where Lucinda spent much of her childhood.
“I’ve always loved Bilgola Beach, it was always my happy place, and I wanted that to be emulated through my work,” Lucinda said. “It also means ‘moving waters’ in [Aboriginal] Australia.”
Lucinda’s initial goal in starting her business was to make just a few dollars, so she created an Etsy store. However, the demand for her pieces soared after only a few sales on Etsy. Soon, her orders went from two or three a week to 10 a week. She posted all of her designs on Instagram and TikTok, @bilgolabeachwear, which drove a noticeable increase in sales.
“I bought my top right before summer and wore it so much,” junior Olivia Lindemann said. “It was very affordable and cute.”
However, not all of her social media marketing efforts were successful. In May 2024, Lucinda collaborated with popular TikTok creator Mollygz (@mollygz). Lucinda sent her free clothing in exchange for a video promoting her business. “Unfortunately, the creator collaboration didn’t go as successfully as [I] planned,” Lucinda said. “My clothes were featured at the end of the video, so I did not get new customers like I had hoped.”
Lucinda also faced challenges with her schedule. On top of school work, she is a captain of the cross country team and a member of the club Threads for Compassion, so she has little free time. Lucinda has even crocheted in class to get extra work done.
“It is much harder to manage my time now, though, since I am involved in many more things,” Lucinda said.
@bilgolabeachwear Make a top with me 🙂 #crochet #fashion #crochettutorial #festival ♬ Aces by DKJ – Danny Johnson
Lucinda scrambled to keep up with the volume of orders. Pricing also became an issue since her profits decreased.
“It’s hard to sell to your friends and awkward to say that you’ve raised prices,” Lucinda said. “It’s also hard to find a balance between making them and pricing them right.”
Another challenge Lucinda faced in her business was retaining customers.
“There’s only so many crochet tops a girl needs, so it’s mostly a one-and-done thing,” she said. “Crochet has a niche audience.”
Lucinda closed her Etsy store in June because she was not making enough profit. She now takes orders through direct messaging on Instagram. Since closing her Etsy shop, she has had doubts about the future of her business.
Her love for crochet has not dwindled, however. Lucinda felt rewarded by the positive feedback people gave her, inspiring her passion for crochet to grow.
“One comment I got was that this girl had nothing to wear and didn’t feel comfortable going out of the house—until she wore my top. That felt super rewarding and like I was truly impacting others with my crochet.” Lucinda said.
Despite the difficulties of owning a business, Lucinda says she has no regrets.
“I would do it over again one hundred percent,” Lucinda said. “It’s always hard balancing school life, social life, and business, but at the end of the day, it’s worth it. The experience I got out of it makes me feel much more experienced and resilient.”
