4 ideas to give old clothes new life

To become a designer, it is not necessary to buy meters of new fabric and create a complete collection from scratch, which may not turn out the way you originally planned.
The best way is just to redesign the things you already have.

Today our designers and teachers of the Italian E-Learning Fashion School have collected 4 ideas on how you can easily remake things from your wardrobe and make them look trendy.

1. Paint a drawing on jeans

You don’t have to be a talented artist to color your old denim items. Simple patterns, objects or pictures will help you create the most effective designs.

What you need:

• Denim clothes (jeans, shorts, jackets, bags, etc.)
• Acrylic paint, fabric paint, or fabric markers
• A piece of cloth if using acrylic paint
• Brush and cup for clear water
• Pencil
• Duct tape
• Imagination

Stages of work:

1. To paint only selected areas, use duct tape to stay inside the selected painted area and create a clean edge. For example, if it’s a pocket, stick tape around the edge of the pocket. If not necessary, skip this step.
2. Place a plastic bag or heavy cardboard on the inside of your jeans, behind your chosen stained area. This will prevent paint from seeping onto the other side of the denim.
3. Decide on the look or pattern you want to paint.
4. Draw your design on denim with lead pencil.
5. First, paint the pattern on the denim with white. This will create a base background to keep your paint vibrant and consistent with the shape.
6. You can now start applying your colors. Dye soaks into denim, so you may need to apply multiple coats of paint depending on which colors and brands of paint you are using. Let each color dry before moving on to another color.
   TIP: Always start with the lightest paint color and clean the brush completely before moving on to the next color.
7. Let the design dry in the sun.
   We recommend that you wash your hand-dyed denim garments and do not put them in the tumble dryer, as the heat can crack the dye if you dye thickly.

2. Bleach denim clothes

You can create many different designs or patterns, which brings a lot of fun to experimenting with bleach and jeans. Now it is one of the most trendy prints that will look very fashionable on clothes. Give your favorite denim items a new life!

What you need:

• Old denim items (denim shirt, jeans, denim skirt, etc.)
• Bleach or bleach pen
• Gloves
• Ventilated space
• Duct tape / plastic bag
• Spray can or brush

Stages of work:

1. Find a design you’d like to try. Then mark the areas you don’t want bleach to ruin and tape them over. If these are large areas, use plastic trash bags sealed with tape.
2. Paint or spray bleach directly onto the jeans and leave for as long as you like. Different denim will lead to different results, so be careful with the denim and the shade you want.
   For example, bleach for 1 hour will lighten the shade slightly.
   In 1 day, most of the color of the jeans will most likely fade to white.
3. Rinse and wash your jeans and let them dry before putting them on.

Bleach can be a hazardous chemical, so work in a well-ventilated area while protecting your skin and eyes. Always wear gloves and mark all containers or bottles you use with a BLEACH marker so that no one will ever use the bottle in the future.

Remember that when bleaching black fabric, the end result will be a rusty orange, not white. The standard blue jeans will turn white.

3. Paint your shoes

Patterned boots and shoes have already been seen at fashion shows in the world, and there is no reason why you can’t create your own pair. You just need to show a little creativity.

What you need:

• Boots (leather, vinyl) or sneakers / trainers
• Acrylic paint or leather paint for long-term regular use
• Brush and cup for clear water
• Pencil
• Imagination

Stages of work:

1. First, decide on the drawing you want to draw.
2. Clean any dirt, oil or grease from your boots. If you cannot remove all the oil / grease, you can lightly sand the area you will be painting on. Do not sand the entire shoe as it will look frayed.
3. Draw your drawing on a piece of paper and carefully draw with graphite or white pencil what you want to depict on the boot.
4. Then apply the paint directly to the shoes in thin layers, letting each layer dry completely before applying the next coat. The quality of your paint will determine how many layers you need to make.

4. Use the TIE-DYE technique

Lots of big brands are using the TIE-DYE technique in their latest collections this season, so why not create your own versions with an old t-shirt, sweat tops, or whatever you think could look new with a hippie feel. It works with both your summer and winter clothes.

What you need:

• Clothes, preferably cotton (T-shirt, sports top, shirt, sweatpants, sweatshirt, etc.)
• Rubber bands
• Gloves and mask
• Fabric dye or bleach
• Spray bottle or squeeze bottle

Stages of work:

1. With elastic bands, you can create different patterns and designs. This technique works great with any outfit and produces stunning fashion results. Gather a piece of clothing and tie elastic bands around it.
2. Then drip or spray bottle cloth paint onto the cloth over an old plastic bowl. Follow the fabric dye manufacturer’s instructions on how to mix the dyes.
   To bleach with this technique, place the bleach in a small spray bottle and randomly spray it in the fresh air on a bag or surface you don’t mind damaging with the bleach.
3. Leave the clothes on for 10 minutes / 1 hour / 1 day, then remove all elastic bands, rinse, wash, dry and feel free to wear!
   Keep track of your clothes to know when you need to wash, all fabrics are dyed and bleached differently.