Upcycled clothing might sound like some ridiculous new fashion trend, but it is simply put the recycling up your old, out-dated clothing. If you are creative and pretty good with a needle, this is most definitely for you.
With upcycled clothing you either revamp an old jean by adding something or an old shirt by maybe even removing something. Otherwise, you can only use the material and make a whole new design.
Not only is this a great money saver, but you are able to express yourself in a way that will cost you next to nothing.
You can raid second-hand clothing stores and cut and sew yourself something unique and invaluable. If you do raid a second-hand store, chose one that is connected to welfare organization. That way, you are also doing your bit for the community in terms of finance.
The greatest benefit of all is that by upcycling clothing, you are doing your bit to save the earth. Your contribution might seem small, but taking into consideration the material you are not using, it is quite a noticeable difference.
If you do use new material in the process of upcycling your clothes, use organic cotton. Make use of bamboo fabric and other eco-friendly materials.
Consider the harmful production processes and pollution caused by the transport of clothes, revamping your old clothes is at no cost to the environment.
The scarps of material that is left over from your upcycling can also be recycled, so do not overlook the importance of this either.
If you are very efficient and have an entrepreneur set of mind, you can even start selling these upcycled pieces of clothing. Combined with organic and eco-friendly materials, you can do this while causing minimal to no harm to the environment.
Being green and living an eco-friendly life has a lot to do with sustainability. The more ways you can provide in your own needs and provide using only eco-friendly products, the smaller the negative impact you will have on the earth.
There are many websites and blogs out there that can help you with ideas and places where you can find eco-friendly materials. Do your research and experiment a little. -ANNABEL SCHOEMAN