6 Creative Fashion Hacks to Refresh your Wardrobe (Without buying anything new!)

One of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to upgrade your wardrobe is to customize the items you already have, there’s no better feeling than wearing a whole new outfit that you've put your own effort into personalising!

Read on and discover how to DIY to improve your closet...

1) Tie Dye it – The oldest trick in the book. There are many ways to tie dye your clothes, all of which are bang on trend right now! Starting with the classic elastic band trick: stick on a pair of rubber gloves, twist and bunch together sections of the clothing and tie-up with elastic bands. Mix-up your fave colour fabric dye in an applicator bottle, apply the dye in any section of your choice, leave it tied up to dry for 2-24 hours (the longer you leave it the easier it is to rinse any excess dye), to rinse out any excess dye, let the garment soak in cold water for 10-15 mins, then leave to dry and admire your handiwork. Repeat with different colours for an even trippier result.

2) Crop it – Ever found a tee in the op-shop you absolutely love but it's a bit too big or you aren't sure how to style it? Even the ugliest of t-shirts can look ten times better as a cropped piece. You’ll see this in tonnes of vintage shops with a hefty price tag, so why not save yourself a few bucks and give it a go at home. Fold the tee in half long ways (making sure seams are lined up), get a ruler and some chalk, measure up from the hemline on each side and put a small mark along where you'd like to cut, cut along your line and voila! You also have the choice to leave some space if you want to re-hem the garment or leave it as a raw cut. For an added effect fold up the sleeves once or twice and give it a quick 1 - 2 stitches for a super laid back look. 

3) Bleach it – Bleached denim is a mood. Worn by everyone from Kendall Jenner to your mum in the 80s, it’s a trend that is timeless. If you’re thinking about throwing away a pair of jeans or an old denim jacket, think again! Fish out those rubber gloves, dampen the denim and get to work by dabbing the bleach into the fabric with a sponge, you can put the bleach into a spray bottle and play around with different nozzle adjustments, or even flick the bleach onto the garment with a paintbrush - the possibilities to get creative are endless! Remember to be careful around bleach fumes, perform the task in a well-ventilated area (preferably outside) being sure not to inhale any fumes.

4) Stitch it – Adding an unexpected or contrasting element to your item, simply using a trusty needle and thread can really bring any basic piece to life. This can get a bit fiddly, so you’ll have to be patient with yourself, there are YouTube videos to follow along with which can help improve your skills and inspire you in so many ways to transform your clothing. Make it uniquely you with a lace hem, furry shoulder pads, sequin sleeves, beading or patchwork and the list goes on.

5) Patch it - A fun way to add something extra to a piece of clothing is to iron on some patches. You can pick up patches at art and craft shops, online (eBay, Depop or specific websites), sometimes you can even find unique or rare patches at local fashion/vintage markets. Patches can generally iron on to any type of fabric. Prep your handheld iron to the hottest setting (avoid using steam), grab another piece of fabric (tea-towel/sheet/pillowcase) or  to use between the iron and the patch, position the patch on the desired area, put the sheet on top of the patch and then press down with the iron for about 30 seconds, turn the garment inside-out, use the fabric again between the garment and the iron and press for another 15 seconds. Make sure to get all corners of the patch so the glue melts evenly into the fabric. 

6) Make it into your very own Masterpiece – Have you seen a picture that you think would look great on a t-shirt? Or maybe you can draw and make digital art and want to see your own t-shirt designs come to life! You can easily jazz up a plain tee with a screen-print of any image you like. The old fashioned way would be to print out a design onto transfer paper and press or iron on to the fabric, but today you can also get this done in a shop by collaborating with a local screen printer, you may even have the pleasure of watching them print your tees so you can see how the process works.

Good luck and have fun!

Alex xx

Depop @alexchrys

Instagram @refresh_mag