Since finally unpacking the last box of my clothes at our new house, I've been surprise to see which things I am ok with letting go of, and which ones I really missed. A lot of these pieces had been in storage for over a year, so it makes a big difference when you take a piece out again after such a long time and the feeling you get from it. Keeping this in mind, I've been consciously trying to buy less clothing, and only items that I feel will be really loved and last a long time, or have been upcycled and given a new life. Which brings me to the title of this post - DIY and reuse fashion! DIY/reuse to me means anything that is based on a piece of clothing that already exists and may have been thrown away due to having a small hole, a bleach stain, a torn cuff, etc.
Defective Garments is a great example of this. They take multiple pieces that may have holes in certain spots that could have hit the garbage can, and collage them together to make an inventive, one-of-a-kind piece:
Defective Garments: IG & Website
Ramarama is a small, 1 person Japanese brand that deserves way more love over on their instagram! They take multiple pieces and sew them together to create voluminous, wearable art. Their use of texture and layering truly sets their pieces apart. Send them a DM to order, they also ship internationally.
Spank! needs no introduction if you are a fan of kawaii fashion or J-fashion in general. While Spank! is largely a vintage shop with a focus on pastel 80's and 90's garments, they also have a few upcycled pieces and handmade accessories in their shop. Unfortunately they don't ship internationally, so you'll need to contact a shopping service to have an item sent outside of Japan.
Based Bich is a new-to-me brand, I discovered them through Avina's alt fashion/art blog, so thank you for turning me on to them!! (Seriously - check them out! Avina has in-depth knowledge of a variety of little-known brands and alt substyles, they are a wealth of information) Based Bich takes pieces of clothing and distresses and prints them, then prints them again, and again...and again... The multiple prints overlaid on a single piece guarantee no 2 are going to be alike.
