Upcycling as creative reuse — guide
Your unused clothes can have much more value and style than you would expect.
Many of us have this t-shirt or a pair of jeans stored in our wardrobe that we haven’t worn for ages, or simply don’t feel like are matching our styles anymore. It would be a pity just to throw these items out, which is why we have started to look into how we can transform them and continue wearing them in some other form.
While researching what could be a solution for that, I came across a term called Upcycling. Upcycling represents a process in which the “old products” are transformed into something new, with better quality and more value. Upcycling is highly present in the fashion industry and definitely, it is a concept that develops incredibly fast nowadays. Since most of us have a t-shirt or jeans that aren’t worn anymore in their current form, we could definitely reuse the existing material and produce something entirely new, without the actual use of new materials. By reusing the existing fabric and material, upcycling helps a lot to limit overconsumption and overproduction and is a great way to change our consumption habits. It involves creative reuse, which is why in this blog post, I am going to suggest where you can get a bit of inspiration and how you could transform your clothes to give them a new life.
Where can you find inspiration for your creative reuse projects?
If you want to get started and are thinking about where to find ideas, I have my first tip for you — Pinterest. This is one of the biggest inspirational sources with ideas for anything like upcycling, styles, quotes, food, and much more. There, I am sure you can find plenty of upcycle projects inspiring you to reuse your old stuff from your wardrobe. Basically, the ideas and inspiration on Pinterest are never-ending and you can always remake something cool from your old clothing. So let’s go back to the t-shirt and jeans. Did you know that your t-shirt can be creatively reused for a crop top or off-shoulder top and your jeans for a denim DIY bag?
Another place where you can easily get plenty of inspiration is Instagram. The Instagram hashtag #upcycle currently has over 5.5 million posts with images of upcycled clothes, jewelry and DIY furniture.
And lastly — YouTube. Just like on Pinterest, the ideas there seem never-ending, therefore I bet, you will easily find some inspiration on how to reuse your fashion creatively.
How can you start with upcycling?
Now it is your turn :) First, find a makeover idea that you like and would like to use. It is also great to plan ahead and imagine or draw what result of the makeover you would like to achieve. And don’t forget about making a list of anything that may be useful for your projects, for example, fabric paint, buttons or a sewing machine (you can also find projects not requiring a sewing machine, only scissors). Source the items in your wardrobe that you would like to upcycle accordingly to the idea that you have in mind.
Finally, have fun and share your upcycling projects in the comments below :)
