Five Ways to Customize Your Clothing
How to turn your thrift store finds into designer pieces
by AINSLEY HOLMAN ★ NOVEMBER 11, 2019
From social media influencers on your Instagram feed to the girl sitting next to you in your philosophy class, it seems like everyone is customizing their clothes. Adding certain flairs to make your clothing more unique has become an extremely popular trend in the past year. Instagram accounts, like Ugly Bitch Enterprise (@uglybitchenterprise), have begun to monopolize on these trends, selling customized clothing via social media. Here’s five ways to customize your clothing at home, and some tips from the girls at UBE!
Cutting to crop:
Credit: Ugly Bitch Enterprise (@uglybitchenterprise)
Credit: Ugly Bitch Enterprise (@uglybitchenterprise)
Taking a pair of scissors to an oversized t-shirt is a great way to transform a baggy garment into a cute crop top! Pair it with a pair of distressed mom jeans and white sneakers, and you have the perfect casual outfit for a day of classes.
“I love distressing and cropping because it’s so simple,” says Gabby Sullivan, co-owner of UBE. “It takes no time and can change a giant oversized t-shirt into something super cute you can wear all the time.”
Bleaching:
Credit: Ugly Bitch Enterprise (@uglybitchenterprise)
Credit: Ugly Bitch Enterprise (@uglybitchenterprise)
According to UBE, “bleaching is the new tie-dye,” and we couldn’t agree more! Bleaching a sweatshirt or top is a great alternative to tie-dying. It makes the look more edgy, and can completely alter a basic black top.
Mira Dandiker, UBE co-owner, loves how bleaching can be “really unique and fun” and that “each time you do it you never know what to expect or what it’s going to turn out like.”
Tube tops:
Credit: @mcmanley4 (via @snippedbysteph)
Credit: @skylerjaegar (via @snippedbysteph)
This customization project can be a little tricky, but a simple Pinterest search will do the job. Cutting a shirt in half and tying it at the sides is a great way to transform a simple t-shirt into a cropped tube top. Play with the neckline to get your desired look. This top is perfect for completing a tailgate outfit!
For this style of top, UBE recommends finding shirts at your local thrift store instead of cutting up a beloved tee. 3fifteen, Salvation Army, and Goodwill are great thrift store options in Syracuse!
Iron-on patches:
Credit: Amazon
Credit: Brandy Melville
Embroidered patches on tank tops is an extremely popular trend. However, these tops can run from $20 to $30 at stores such as Urban Outfitters or Brandy Melville. Instead, you can save money by buying a patch from Amazon and a white tank from Target or a local thrift store! Also, you are able to make it your own by incorporating any patch you want, as opposed to being limited to the store’s selection.
UBE agrees, saying that “places like Urban Outfitters and Brandy Melville can get predictable, but with thrifting, you never know what you’re gonna get.”
Bedazzling:
Credit: Ugly Bitch Enterprise (@uglybitchenterprise)
Credit: Ugly Bitch Enterprise (@uglybitchenterprise)
Bedazzling shirts is a relatively new trend, and we are obsessed with it! It’s a very unique way to customize a shirt, and it completely transforms a basic sweatshirt or tee into a designer item.
Regarding UBE’s bedazzled items, Lauren Pichiarella, UBE co-owner, says she was “inspired by LF-style shirts.” LF is an edgy and bright-colored clothing brand famous for their street style pieces, but their clothing can be on the more expensive side.
“LF sells their bedazzled sweatshirts and shirts for like $300. I use permanent fabric glue and then grid the shirt with jewels,” says Pichiarella. “It’s nowhere near as much what you would pay for LF.”
The trend of customizing clothing isn’t just beneficial for your aesthetic; it’s also super sustainable for the environment. Our generation is “very aware when it comes to clothing production,” says UBE, “We see the environmental benefit in thrifting.”
UBE believes that thrifting and upcycling clothes is a trend that is here to stay, and we agree. “People are realizing that you can make these one-of-a-kind pieces that no one else will have,” shares UBE. “It’s very cool and very smart; I always love seeing how people get creative with it.”