[fashion] mending, refashion and thrift-flips – the world of slow fashion

I wanted to do a longform content post about slow fashion, mending, refashioning from already existing stuff, and all such activities that help reduce consumption and waste. I love to do these things because I have been poor and/or eco-conscious ever since I was a kid, so my house is full of junk and scraps ready to be recycled rather than thrown away like what normal sane people would do. Also I enjoy perusing other people’s ideas to reuse and recycle stuff online and on social media, though sometimes one can sense it’s a gimmick to get internet views, and there was probably more waste generated for something that person didn’t even need.  Still, the concept is better than just buying new stuff constantly, especially if you have something at home that was already created that you already spent money on which you can now makeover to your specific tastes. Obviously not everyone can sew (although sewing on a shirt button ought to be a minimum skill for everyone who can hold a needle), but for everyone else who has the time and ability, mending and refashioning to give your most likely fast or at least brisk-paced fashion clothes a few more years of life before they go to not-rot in a landfill because there’s just no way everything can ever be sold; that is a power you can obtain. Sometimes it’s just a quick 5 minute fix to turn something that was uncomfortable to something you love to put on, sometimes it’s a couple of hours of transforming an old piece into something completely new. But you can do it on your own, to your size and preference. If you mess up no one will ever know because you weren’t even wearing that stuff anyway, but if you succeeded now you have a almost new piece for almost no moneys and that is not something to scoff at in this economy.

Besides all of that, I am in a no-buy era until August due to expenses and loaning money to my family and paying fees from my evil HOA, so I have to make do and create with stuff I already have and pretend they’re new purchases lol – thus, the true inspiration for this post.

Mending projects to turn unworn clothes/stuff into usable items since summer 2023

  • gluing rhinestones back onto my rider jacket buckles
  • hemming my ao dai so I can finally wear it (with heels and the also mended pants)
  • making a cloth-covered button for a thrifted jacket missing one button
  • hemming too long pajama pants to a reasonable length
  • patching a small hole in the back of linen pants
  • patching a bunch of holes made by my brother’s dog on a dog bed

Refashioning or making over clothing projects, also since summer 2023

image of a long red linen dress with wide collar (from Linennaive)

collage of a yellow sleeveless maxi dress that was cut into sections and refashioned into a tanktop and pajama shorts
[fashion, 2024]

Future mending and refashioning projects I hope to finish by the end of 2024 (lol)

  • finding a rhinestone to match this blouse missing just one stone
  • attaching patches to my varsity jacket that keep falling off
  • putting elastic into drawstring pajama pants
  • fixing a fabric purse strap that has detached
  • flipping too small pants into a skirt (almost finished)
  • making something out of old curtains and bed sheets? (raincoat or bag, twirly princess dress)
  • sewing another pair of fleece pajama pants and maybe a cardigan from blankets (technically this isn’t slow fashion since I bought the blankets new just for repurposing)
  • refashion more new t-shirts (uncomfy fabric, oversized, a tank top for summer)
  • try to add pockets into pants and skirts with no pockets???
  • a t-shirt quilt with all of the too-small and stained t-shirts I still want to keep even though I can’t revamp them, and can’t donate them

If you want even more inspiration to start mending and refashioning old clothes, check out these videos on youtube from some of the creators I follow

I hope this gives you ideas on how to live a slightly slower fashion life in a world full of consumerism, how to show respect and love to the things you already bought, and how to transform items you hate into stuff you can tolerate for a little while longer, all while saving money.  Of course some things are not possible to salvage and have to be thrown away or turned into rags, but if you can save one item from the trash for another year or two of wear, that’s more than good enough, and more than most people would do.

Here’s my first big post on tumblr about mending from 2023, I’m just copy-pasting here under the cut to possibly save endless scrolling through large photos. Mending tasks included: replacing buttons I managed to rescue from the washer or dryer, mending holes in the seams of pants and pillowcases, enlarging pants, replacing headband elastic, dress zipper, and violin cloth padding,

https://www.tumblr.com/starsbegantofall/727577139723010048/all-of-the-clothes-mending-i-finished-this-long

 

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