Lim Sin Rong, Vanessa
About
Vanessa is a BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Textiles graduate whose practice is rooted in conceptual exploration and storytelling. Viewing fashion as both a creative medium and a platform for social advocacy, she is interested in how garments can give voice to overlooked narratives and reflect broader societal issues.
Through an intuitive and expressive approach to textiles, she explores painting, mark-making and illustration—frequently using brushes and embroidery to create artworks that capture feeling rather than form. Her practice is rooted in intention, focusing on creating work that goes beyond surface aesthetics to explore deeper ideas and narratives.
The Uneven Starting Line
Growing up in a first-world country, Vanessa has always been baffled by how privilege shapes one’s livelihood just because they were born into it—how she has a roof over her head while others endure the effects of war.
This led her to examine class privilege in Singapore, a nation that prides itself on meritocratic principles where ‘as long as you put in the work and effort, you will be rewarded.’ However, this narrative overlooks the fact that individuals begin life from unequal starting points.
In The Uneven Starting Line, Vanessa highlights this disparity and brings this issue to the forefront of people's minds in hopes of forging a more empathetic and equitable society. This theme is being expressed through textiles inspired by everyday life in Singapore, featuring writings and high- and low-class markers rendered in a scrappy, expressive style through painting, applique and embroidery.
Designer: Vanessa Lim @valinser_
Photographer: Colette Wong @colesfilms
Hair & makeup: Rosie Brennan @rosiebrennan.makeup
Model: Nicole Rusli @basicsmodels @notnicolerusli
Assistants: Kailin Foo @k.xln
Ayesha Mahmood
Andrea Sanchez Guajardo
Viola Veronika
Parnika Goyal
Nurul Izza Binte Rahmat
Keila Zaneta Arifin
