Fashion is a fun way to express yourself, but keeping up with current trends can be extremely costly and not realistic for many people.
When travelling we tend to feel the need to purchase new clothing for sunnier climates, but this doesn’t need to be the case. Many of us are guilty of hoarding garments that we haven’t worn in a long time ‘just in case’. However, you can finally dust off the cobwebs as it’s extremely easy to upcycle and customize old garments and give your wardrobe a new lease of life.
Liven up plain or tired clothing
There is absolutely nothing wrong with plain clothing, often they’re staple items in your wardrobe. However, do you have a few garments that just seem ‘meh’? That you like but it always feels like it’s slightly lacking in something when you go to style it. This is extremely common, but rather than decluttering, you can customise it to make it a garment that brings you excitement. Maybe it’s an old tote bag that you want to ‘jazz’ up to create the perfect beach bag.
Don’t worry if you’re not handy with a needle and the threat or the thought of letting loose on a sewing machine terrifies you. You can liven up any item of clothing with a hot glue gun and whatever embellishments you choose. There are a multitude of different hot glue guns you can purchase, each with their own benefits, so there’s definitely one suited to every DIY project.
Update old denim
A good pair of jeans is a staple in any wardrobe. Whilst they’re generally items that can last a long time, sometimes you just want to freshen them up. Despite being such a hardwearing material denim is surprisingly easy to up-cycle. You can easily distress a plain pair of jeans with a cheese grater believe it or not. Whilst you might be inclined to reach for a pair of scissors, using a cheese grater instead offers a more authentic distressed look as it eliminates any rips looking too deliberate.
Simply run the cheese grater back and forth over the area you wish to distress, it’s a really easy method to update your denim items and can work on jackets, shorts or skirts too. If you’re travelling, rather than buying some new denim shorts, repurpose your old jeans to save yourself money!
In the current economic climate, saving money while abroad is paramount, so why not start by upcycling garments you already have?
Don’t be afraid to switch up colours
Have you ever made an impulse purchase that you love, but the colour just isn’t working for you? This is a common issue that can put people off from wearing otherwise lovely pieces in their collection. Don’t worry, all hope is not lost.
It’s actually really easy to dye your clothes at home. You can buy fabric dye in most supermarkets, so it’s easy to get hold of and it’s relatively affordable too. Dyes all work differently, some can be done over a hot stove and others simply in the washing machine so be sure to check out the instructions beforehand. If you want to be a little more experimental and beach ready you can also easily tie-dye clothing, there are a ton of tutorials available to guide you through it.
A surprising amount of people have a collection of long-neglected clothing, however, it is extremely easy to update old clothing items. You don’t need to be a professional seamstress or fashion designer to upcycle your old garments, there are a ton of extremely easy hacks suitable even for beginners. Rather than wasting money constantly buying new clothes to keep up with fashion trends, shop your own wardrobe and see what you can update or change to fit in with your current aesthetic.
Travelling can cost a lot of money, so upcycling your old clothes is a great way to get your wardrobe holiday ready without breaking the bank. Not only can it be a fun process, but also a great way of injecting personality into your clothing, resulting in one-off pieces that you won’t see anywhere else.
