Upcycling and Thrifting Clothes: Creating a Perfect Wardrobe You Won't Hate in a Month

Image Courtesy: Strike Magazine Tallahassee

Unless you’ve been under a rock or un-downloaded tiktok, I'm sure you’ve seen the insanely cool process of “flipping” clothes from the thrift store. This is becoming an extremely popular trend among influencers and the younger population recently. The people who upcycle typically have sewing machines and little to no experience using them. The point of the trend is to create authentic and unique pieces which complement one’s own personality, by creating something new with the materials you acquire. It’s beautiful really, the ability to take a cheap, drab item and customize it not only to your body, but your mind as well. Don’t forget the eco-friendly aspect of upcycling! Not only does thrifting help with the overproduction of fast fashion, but popularity surrounding thrifting and upcycling will hopefully encourage people to want to quit buying carbon copy clothes. There are millions of ways to change your finds, adding different scrap pieces of fabric, taking in the sides, converting the hem into lettuce trim or even some lace! The world is your oyster. I find that putting time and effort into my clothes makes me wear them longer, and treat them nicer!

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There are two different aspects to upcycling, the thrifting and the altering. While it looks challenging and frankly, extremely confusing, this trend is easier to participate in than you may think. Of course, sewing is not an easy job and being a seamstress is definitely not in my skill set, but if I can do it, so can you! I never anticipated that I’d be hand-tweaking my own wardrobe, but with all of the resources available to us now, it’s so easy to pick up a hobby and do enough research to teach yourself. While you may not be able to master it, sewing is pretty universal and machines tend to be very similar to one another. The other aspect of upcycling is thrifting the pieces, which is way less frustrating. I've been going thrifting with my mom since I was young, but 13 is when I really started to get into it. As a 5’8 chubby middle schooler with a painstakingly long torso, I struggled finding cute clothes that fit me. I'd always be discouraged over clothes because of a silly reason. My favorite sparkly pink tank top fit Tabitha, but showed too much of my tummy to wear to school. My mom couldn’t stand to watch me sad, so she introduced me to a completely different mindset on clothing. Your body is not made to fit clothes, clothes are made to fit your body. This is a wonderful way to look at things, and it led me to make my own sparkly pink tank top, from a thrifted adult tank, which I then didn’t take off for days. This opened up a whole new world or opportunity for my creative mind.

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While I've taken my time to describe upcycling as fun and exciting, it isn’t for everyone, and not everything you upcycle will turn out good. There’s a split second of anxiety fueled adrenaline that rushes through your body right before you upcycle an adorable top. You must be confident enough to risk something you will rarely wear as is, to possibly achieve your favorite top in your wardrobe. So after reading this article, is it worth the risk? I’ve asked myself the same question so many times, and I still do when I find cute things at the goodwill outlet. I’ve never regretted making pieces of my own, and I'm happy to say I love my wardrobe, even if it’ll never be perfect. So, try it! Start small with a shirt you hate, and slowly climb the ladder to bigger and better projects. It's okay to fail, and hey, you may even surprise yourself!

Strike Out,

Writer: Payton Raine Muscato

Editor: Breanna Tang

Graphic Designer: Lauren Wakeman

Tallahassee