Current Vine

By Denise Tong

To a style-conscious person, the lure of New York City—Fashion Week, Madison Avenue, and the endless gallery of looks sported by New Yorkers—can prove irresistible. Former West Coaster Sharon Lim, founder and designer of SLim NYC, is one such person.

A native of San Francisco, Lim first moved to New York after enrolling at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), where she studied Fashion Design with a concentration in Women’s Sportswear. After FIT, she moved back to her hometown, where she held various positions at such companies as Allure magazine and Gap Inc.

After moving to New York City a second time and working in licensing for DKNY, Lim discovered that she felt somewhat out of place in the fashion world, despite her love of clothing and accessories. After a three-year break from the industry—during which she worked freelance as a graphic designer and as a writer for women’s magazines and Web sites—her love of fashion was rekindled after reading Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.

Having rediscovered her love of accessories design and production, Lim started SLim NYC in 2003 to provide easy and fun women’s accessories. The company offers tote bags and hip bags—both of which convert into shoulder bags and wrist clutches—and yoga bags to hold a mat, a towel, and a water bottle.

SLim NYC has been featured in magazines including Women’s Wear Daily and Lucky; customers run the gamut from young professionals to stay-at-home mothers. In addition to drawing fans from across the United States, the company has begun its international expansion through its recent sales in Japan.

Lim discussed with Current Vine her influences, how she got in touch with her creative side and how her designs can drive a woman to beg.

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CV: How would you compare San Francisco with New York City in terms of style?

SL: Because of [San Francisco's] laid-back attitude, people are often in jeans and T-shirts. Also, because it’s a driving city and people-watching on the street isn’t as prevalent [there as in New York City], I think that makes it harder to absorb people’s individual style the way we do in New York.

I always wanted to live and work in New York. [After moving back to San Francisco] I visited New York for my cousin’s wedding and something clicked in me—I had to move back there. At that time in my life, I knew that I either had to do it then or I would never do it, so I just took the plunge.

CV: You credit The Artist’s Way with sparking the creativity that eventually led you to start SLim NYC. How did the book inspire you?

SL: The Artist’s Way is a workbook whose exercises reconnected me with the creative hobbies and interests that I had forgotten about. For example, in one chapter, it asks you to set time aside to bake something in the kitchen. I made brownies—which I hadn’t done in years, mostly due to the lack of counter space in my NYC apartment—and that was a lot of fun; definitely something I used to love to do. So it was really about reconnecting with creativity and having fun with it without making it too serious.

The inspiration for the bags came out of this when I started sewing again too. That was another activity that I had put away that I used to love to do. When I was in high school and college I sewed all the time and designed and made a lot of my clothes. I’d forgotten about that and how much fun it could be until this book helped me to remember.

I realized that I love fashion—the creativity and beauty of it—and at that point in my life, I could make it whatever I wanted it to be. I didn’t have to be in an environment that didn’t suit me; rather, I could do my thing and see where it took me.

CV: Which designers do you admire?

SL: Ippie Design, Rebecca Taylor, Stella McCartney, and Nanette Lepore.

CV: What are the most fulfilling and difficult aspects of what you do?

SL: The uncertainty of it is very fulfilling; it’s a constant learning experience. Also, I love seeing people excited to wear my designs; there have been times when I’m walking down the street and I see a woman wearing one of my bags—it’s an incredible feeling. But being a small business owner, you don’t really get a break—if you stop, then everything stops.

CV: What do you strive for with all of your designs?

SL: Function and fun. I like to stay ahead of trends and not necessarily do what everyone else is doing, so I try not to get too caught up in trend research. I do like the return to the romantic trend though; I like the lacy and pretty things that are going on right now.

I get a lot of my inspiration from seeing different people’s styles on the street. The street energy and culture in New York City are so strong and prevalent in my life that it’s easy to get inspired by them on a daily basis.

CV: You design a line of yoga bags, but SLim NYC has been influenced by yoga in general. How is it incorporated into the spirit of your designs?

SL: I come from a place where I’m keeping my customer’s needs in mind at all times to make her life easier and look nicer. I don’t want to dictate what she should wear; rather, I want her to be excited about it. Also, I like my designs to have an uplifting quality to them through the mixture of prints and colors.

CV: Any favorite designs from past or present that you’re particularly attached to?

SL: You’re Golden convertible hip bag is one of my favorites. It’s getting old, but I use the same one when I do shopping events and shows and it’s a bit of a good luck charm for me.

CV: When you introduce a new design, do you feel nervousness or excitement?

SL: I think the excitement is always mixed with nervousness. It’s a lengthy process to work toward introducing a new design, so there is a lot of “me” attached to it. It’s hard not to feel like you’re putting a part of yourself on the line.

CV: Are there any unusual or funny stories behind any of your products?

SL: It amuses me to hear about the different functions that people have found for my bags. Many moms with small children have told me how helpful my bags have been to them, which I hadn’t considered when I was designing them—the hip bags are great because they can have their hands free when carrying their babies, and the hip totes are the perfect size for diaper bags. Also, one woman who was a diabetic told me that the hip bag was great for her to carry around her syringes and insulin.

One customer told me a funny story. She had bought a hip bag from me and was wearing it while on a trip to Italy. She said that an Italian woman followed her for a half an hour begging to buy the bag off her, but she wouldn’t give it up! She took it as a sign to buy another one when she came back to New York.

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Pictured: You’re Golden Convertible Hip Bag. Photo courtesy SLim NYC.