What is upcycling?
Upcycling is a form of recycling whose final result is an item of greater value. Recycled plastic bottles become plastic bottles again. Upcycling allows creating better, more valuable, sometimes entirely new things that have nothing to do with the original purpose of the item. Do you remember coffee tables made of pallets? Or produce bags sewn from old curtains? That’s precisely what upcycling is about.
And what is upcycling clothes?
It’s altering, shortening or creating new clothes (and even new items!) from old, damaged or tattered garments. Sometimes such alterations require a visit at a tailor’s and sometimes all it takes is a needle, thread, and a bit of creativity. Here are some ideas on how to upcycle clothes:
– Shorten and alter: Do you have a pair of worn-through jeans? Shorten them and turn them into shorts. A tailor will help you adjust the length and redo the trousers to give them wide, rolled-up hems. Or maybe you prefer jeans with frayed hems? That’s fine too – what matters is that the trousers will get a second life!
– Mend and patch: small holes are an issue you can deal with on your own. A threadbare sweater elbow? Put a fancy leather patch on it. A hole in a rucksack? A colourful patch, e.g. with the logo of your favourite band is a great idea. Patches, pins, and studs can give your jeans or jacket a total makeover.
– Paint: Do you know that there are artists than can paint on your old denim jacket or trainers with special paints and completely change their vibe?
– Dye: A stain on a light-coloured T-shirt that still has a stunning cut? Dye it. The tie-dye technique is an interesting solution. The idea is to dye the fabric so as to obtain multi-coloured, irregular patterns. Before you dip the T-shirt in dye, twist it, tie it with rubber bands, and crumple it. This way, you will obtain a unique pattern reminiscent of the fashion of the American 60s.
– Create new things: Make a scrunchie out of your old blouse or turn a dress into an original skirt. You can also take a more practical route and turn damaged clothes into dish rags, useful reusable bags or patchwork quilts. Or like we did – into dog jackets made from down jackets and trekking jackets, which will be available in selected 4F stores soon!
There are plenty of possibilities. The key thing is not to be afraid to experiment. A bit of work, a dash of creativity and you can breathe a new life into your clothes! With a needle, thread, and scissors you can shorten, cut, alter, to put it simply, give clothes a second life and a fresh look that fits your style. So as not to make baseless claims, in the second half of November we’re introducing a new category of garments. The UPCYCLED label will join REPAIRED, RECYCLED and RENEWED labels. Look for it in the Wear_Fair zones!