Wanna cool clothes? Just DIY it!

I've seen so many blogs and forum posts, even on bulletins asking "where do I get cool *insert style* clothes???" And then people on the comments naming stores and online shops. "Awesome! But I have no money". I know, today is easy to just go on shein or temu or wherever place where they sell cheap trendy fast fashion clothes and look for something; but that's not the only option nor the best.

I'm not gonna glance over thrifting, because I know that's the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about other places to find cheap clothes. But let's be real, thrifting is getting expensive in most places and the kind and/or quality of clothing you can find today isn't always the best. Most likely you won't find a vintage gem in every store every time you visit, but that doesn't mean it's not worth it.

There's a statement piece waiting for you to bring it to life!

You'll have to get creative and have more vision; that boring t-shirt you found on the thrift store rack, can you dye it?; Oh no! That nice graphic tee has a hole under the armpit, would it look cool sleeveless?; Those pants are really what you were looking for, but the size is wrong, could it be tailored? If you look for a tutorial, do you think you could do it yourself? 

Even if you think you suck at arts & crafts, try and give it a go! You can start small, go to the craft store and have a look. Try and add studs to your old jacket, maybe some spikes too, why not?. Have you thought about fur trim on that miniskirt? Get little thrifted trinkets and add them to a chain, clip it to your favorite jeans. What about those cute button chokers, those look easy enough, seems like a fun activity to do with friends! You can't find the perfect patch? Cotton fabrics take acrylics very well, with enough layers and some stitching you'll have the patch you were looking for

YouTube is your friend, just take a look!

Once upon a time, tutorials flooded YouTube in a never-ending cascade of upcycle and DIY possibilities. Now people still upload those kinds of videos, even if it's not the 2010's anymore. A simple search for "style/ clothing piece DIY" is enough to open the gates. You have at your disposal a whole library of years and years of projects for you to try. Yes, maybe some are really outdated; maybe the style isn't exactly what you were searching for and perhaps those skinny jeans make you gag, but watch them nonetheless and take what is useful to you. 

You'll learn techniques and little tricks to make every kind of wardrobe piece under the sun, from the simplest hair clip to an absolute showstopper ensemble. But to get what you want, you'll have to apply yourself, don't quit just because your first project didn't end up being exactly what you expected. To fail is to learn, your first attempts are supposed to suck ass a little, that's fine! It's a craft, it probably won't look like you bought it if you're only starting, or at all for what it matters! 

Wear your creations with pride!

Ain't it wonderful when you get to say "Thanks! I made it" with pride? Now you're the exclusive owner or a one of a kind fashion piece, something that is in every way you and no one can say otherwise. You added pockets to that skirt and sewed hand made band patches to those jeans, you made yourself the statement piece you were looking for and a few more cool things along the way. Now you make the fashion.

Sounds cheesy, but it's a powerful feeling; once you start learning how to make garments even better, every clothing item makes you think "I could do something really nice with this". And then you do it, and it is better and nicer, and everything you envisioned for it to be. When you really love fashion, one gets to the point where what's in store isn't enough, so we start making our own and that's a great feeling.