Fashion Upcycling, Part 1

I am excited to share the first project from my fashion upcycling class! In my previous post, I explained that I have been taking a class which specifically focuses on creating a fashion collection, using only upcycling fashion methods. I have spent the last 6 months working on my pieces (off and on) and have absolutely loved this class. I am going to share the projects and fashion line that I created in separate posts.

For this line, I chose to create pieces for myself that I will love and wear for many years to come. Fashion upcycling focuses on making new fashion from existing materials. This includes cutting up and re-sewing items you already have or using items found second hand- nothing new. Taking details from an existing garment and adding them to create a new piece. Really, anything that is made out fabric could be conceptualized into a new garment. I have used vintage sheets, towels and even curtains. It also includes dying, painting, stenciling and drawing on fabric, embroidery and other details.

My inspiration for this line was Avatar: Legend of Korra, specifically the Metalbenders aesthetic. In my opinion, green is the best of all colors and green on green is even better! While watching the show I felt very inspired by the colors and clothing of all the characters, especially the details included. I wanted to make some clothing for myself based on what I saw in the show, but did not think I would actually get the opportunity until this class came along.

The first assignment was to complete a brainstorming exercise which helps to breakdown the inspiration and get more detailed about the direction for the line. This exercise lead me to at least 3 different directions I could take. I decided to focus on the character of Sujin Beifong.

This was my brainstorming exercise.

The next assignment was to create a mood board based on the inspiration.

This was my mood board.

The final assignment for this first part of the class was to submit initial drawings of the line I wanted to create.

These are my initial sketches and notes.

I decided to start with the sweater and pants, because the sweater is the first piece I found and I already had fabric that I wanted to use for the pants. Below is my completed rendering of what I intended the first outfit to look like. I made some changes to the final garment based on the items I found and how I ended up constructing them. This is a knit sweater with an embroidered color detail at the collar and wide leg, heavy knit jersey pants with a thin stripe and very large pockets.

Below is the sweater I found at a thrift store. It had a single ribbed triangle detail at the neck, similar to what I had in mind, which is why it caught my eye. However, it also had this odd white accent in the back that was made of a different fabric. I was not sure if it was going to work, but decided to try it. This is how the sweater looked when I got it.

I started by removing the white accent fabric and dying it green to match my color palette. Then I sewed it back onto the sweater.

I made a little pattern that was the same size as the existing triangle detail and used it to map out my collar design. I used fabric chalk to mark the pattern on the sweater. I stitched the triangle details using a coordinating yarn and ran it all along the collar on the front of the sweater. I did not continue it onto the back.

The fabric that I had and planned to use for the pants was already in a color of gray that coordinated with the sweater. It is a two-sided fabric, with stripes on one side and polka dots on the other. I wanted to use the stripes. I dyed this fabric so that the white areas would be the same color of green as on the sweater. Once that was completed, I drafted the pattern for my pants, cut the fabric and then stitched the pants. I used a very simple pattern with an elastic waist because I wanted these to be very comfortable and more casual pants. I cut the pockets and added a gray triangle detail to them to further tie them in with the sweater.

This is the completed outfit! It is super comfortable and I love it! As a 90’s kid, I really love the wide legs pants. The mix of patterns, details and textures came together nicely. Even the color blocked fabric on the back of the sweater ended up being a part that I think works well. It is also fun to wear these pieces separately and to mix them with other pieces.

I am having such a great time hunting out and creating each piece. Searching for clothing in a thrift store can be very overwhelming but I think it is a lot more fun when there is a specific project in mind. It’s also really fun to see the ideas and projects of the other students. I would love to hear about any of your upcycling projects!

Thank you for being here and following along!