How can I upcycle my old clothes?

Throwing away old or broken clothes is something I sometimes don’t think about at all. But did you know that you can easily give these garments new life by upcycling them? This is not only super creative but also very environmentally friendly!

Upcycling is becoming a real trend these days and can be found in both the interior and the fashion world. So don’t throw away your old jeans, turn them into a new bag or turn your old shirt into a trendy skirt. In this article, we give you some tips that can help you upcycle your old clothes.

• Because there is a relatively large amount of fabric in a new garment, it is easier to make a smaller garment out of a large one.
• It is also easier to make a new garment out of a large one.
• Use a garment with as few seams as possible (i.e. not a fitted blouse) in order to use as much fabric as possible.
• Make a new garment with as many seams as possible.
• Did you find a garment with a nice fabric, but it is not big enough? Combine it with a different fabric, for example with a colourblock design.
• Try to reuse as many original elements of the original garment as possible. Think of pockets, a collar or buttonholes.
• Do you have a garment with holes or stains? You can easily cover them up with embroidery or a nice patch.
• If you have a garment that has holes or stains, you can use an embroidery patch to cover them up.
• For a garment made of natural fibres you can also dye it, for example in a natural way. Our intern Milou is currently doing research on dyeing with avocado seeds, nice to try at home!
• You can upcycle a lot more than just clothes, think for example of sheets, duvet covers or pillowcases.
• Have you got a lot of small fabric scraps left over that you can no longer use? Don’t throw them away, but use them to stuff a cushion for example.