How To Create Your Own Unique Style Without Breaking The Bank

If you’re bored of your wardrobe but don’t have the money to start afresh, it’s time to get creative. There are plenty of tutorials online for upcycling and repurposing old clothes to make you feel fabulous and stylish again. 

Better yet, you can use paints, appliques, and dyes to make your clothes truly unique to you – and who doesn’t want their own personal brand? 

Here are a few ways you can create a new wardrobe from old pieces for a style that’s unique to you:

Bleaching 

Using bleach or bleach pens can completely transform black clothes into cool, quirky, and totally unique pieces. Whether you want to add a bleached effect to an old pair of skinny jeans or create a motif to stamp onto a plain tee, bleaching pens are a cool option to use. Just be sure not to get it on your other clothes while decorating! 

Shoe paint 

Painting shoes has come a long way from using a sharpie to fill in the scuffs. Now, specialist shoe paint allows you to totally restyle your sneakers, pumps, or boots without worrying about the pattern fading out in the wash. Shoe paints are water-based and non-toxic and can be used in a spray gun or with simple paintbrushes and blotting tools. Whether you’re looking to spruce up your old white Converse or want to add your own color scheme to Nike Airs, shoe paints are available in neon, rainbow, metallic, and pastel – every color you can think of. 

Elbow patches 

If you love a vintage look, adding contrast elbow patches to sweaters, blazers, and long-sleeved t-shirts is a much more affordable way to get the look. Whether you choose heart-shaped patches, brown squares, or embroidery, you can make any item look that little bit classier and chicer with a few stitches. 

Sweater to cardigan

If you love a sweater but want something a little cooler to wear for the spring and summer months, you can quickly upcycle it into a cardigan. Simply cut through the middle of the sweater at the front, add some hem tape and buttons or a zip, and you’re done. You might want to take out some extra fabric when cutting so that there is a gap between each side. This works for any type of sweater and looks great for both men and women. With the left-over fabric, you could even fashion a pocket for one side. 

Tie-dye 

Everyone loves tie-dye, and it’s definitely seen an increase in popularity over the past year or so. TikTok tutorials, bloggers, and Youtubers have all taken on the challenge, and now you can too. With a few hairbands and dyes, you can tie-dye just about anything. Joggers, sweaters, t-shirts, you name it. 

There are so many fun and crafty ways to add your personal style to your wardrobe without breaking the bank. Buying simple staples and transforming them with dye, bleach, or paint can quickly turn your dull and drab wardrobe into a colorful and quirky collection.