Sometimes the best and the most inexpensive way to recreate your wardrobe is to upcycle or DIY your clothes. It’s easy and doesn’t require you to spend hundreds of dollars on items that may not see the next season. Upcycling clothing is also a great way to reduce your carbon footprint.
- Tie-Dye Sweatsuit
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The tie-dye sweatsuit trend has made its way into celebrities’ wardrobes and is on the likes of Gigi Hadid, Madison Beer and Ashley Tisdale. If you decide to follow this trend and use it to upcycle old clothing, then first, you should purchase a tie-dye kit. You can find these kits at Hobby Lobby, Target and Michaels. Tie-dying is an easy four-step process: first pre-wash your clothing, then fold and twist the shirt. After you’re done, tie rubber bands around the bundle. Prepare the dye and start dying your shirt with the lightest color. When you’re done dying your garment, let the dye sit overnight. This spring season, try to DIY a tie-dye sweatsuit or garment of your own.
- Painted Denim
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The painted denim and distressed look is an easy and inexpensive way to transform a boring pair of denim jeans or a denim jacket. Acrylic paint is permanent and is the perfect way to apply your design to the denim. Before you apply the acrylic paint wash and dry your jeans to remove dust; this will make sure that the paint will easily stick to the denim.
- Bleach
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Bleaching denim is a great way to upcycle old clothes that may not fit your style anymore. Now not only will your garments look new, but you can save them from being added to landfills. You can follow designs from fashionable brands like Stella McCartney and Acne Studios. If you want to bleach denim: first fill your bathtub or a bucket with one part bleach and one part water. If you prefer to add a custom design, dampen the denim with cold water and lay your jeans flat; this way, it will be easier to add your design. However, if you want to bleach your whole garment, submerge it in your bucket or bathtub full of the bleach mixture. Here’s a link from Clorox about lightening blue denim.
- Embroidery
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Embroidery is a great non-permanent option to revamp your garments. Sewing is an easy skill to learn; there are multiple tutorials on Youtube that you can watch to help you learn. Here’s a link to a Youtube video about hand embroidery for beginners. When embroidering a design onto denim, you’ll first want to trace the pattern onto your garment with chalk or pencil. You will also need an embroidery needle. Take the embroidery thread and strip it down to multiple strands. Then grab a flat surface to place your garment on. This is one of my favorite DIY style trends and is easy to learn.
DIYing your garments is an easy way to recycle clothing and improve your style. Try any one of these DIY ideas to upcycle your wardrobe!