Posh Swaps Blog

We are so excited there are yet more exciting activities in the refashioning, DIY, customising and restyling of vintage and second hand clothes. It is such a great way to recycle old clothes into something really new, unique and exciting. A pass time that is becoming really popular lately.

Oxfam has lauched a DIY competition with a prize of a custom garment designed by Mrs Jones and their winning garment will be featured on the online pages. Mrs Jones is the designer that Oxfam has recently brought on board to design the Oxfam DIY collection, a limited edition of 30 pieces, created using second hand clothes. Previously, Fee Doran AKA Mrs Jones has worked with some of biggest names in the industry and celebrities including Kylie and Goldfrapp.

You can enter the competition by submitting photographs of your creation to Flickr or by emailing them. Full details of the competition are on the Oxfam website. There is also a gallery of entries, great for inspiration.

Don’t forget, you can also sell your recycled, refashioned and restyled creations on www.posh-swaps.com.

Another great idea is to buy clothes cheap online, for wholesale clothing prices. After you wear them a bit, then refurbish them, to save even more money!

Picture from www.oxfam.org.uk

This week from June 22nd to 28th is Recycle Week. This is an event organised by Recycle Now each annually and is now in it’s fifth year. The theme this year is to waste less and the Recycle  Now website encourages individuals to pledge their commitment to recycling more and saving less. Amongst the suggested ways to reduce waste are reducing textile waste, recycling bottles and cans whilst out and about, home composting kitchen and garden waste, reusing carrier bags and using leftovers for lunch the next day.

We can’t think of any better way of recycling clothes than by selling them or swapping them on posh-swaps.com. It is an easy to use website, free to use and best of all you either get some money or some swapped clothes as a reward for your efforts. You can also recycle your clothes by donating to charity shops and taking to clothing banks. Another great way to recycle clothes is by making them into something new. You can turn old jeans into shorts, shorten a dress or embellish a jacket.

There are so many creative ways that recycled items can be made into jewellery, here are some of our favourites:

Who would have thought of using old bicycle inner tyres to create beautiful and unique jewellery? Sasja Saptenno a designer from Holland did. She makes a range of delicate and intricate jewellery from bicycle inner tyres aswell as 3d shawls from recycled materials.

For fun colourful and stylish jewellery, I love Recycled Newspaper Jewellery. It is made from Bracelets, Brooches, Earrings and Cufflinks  made of  Recyclable Paper Materials including Newspaper, Sweetener Packets and Loser Lottery Tickets.

This gorgeous vintage looking bracelet made from recycled floral biscuit tins is just one of the beautiful pieces of jewellery made from recycled materials on www.the-green-apple.co.uk.

They say that diamonds are a girls best friend but for a recycled alternative to diamonds these sparkly necklaces by Kumvana Govmani are  a great choice. They are made from recycled PET plastic.

If you love vintage jewellery then why not try something new made from vintage. This vintage clasp and recycled chain necklace is just one of a range of one of a kind jewellery on http://uncommonlybeautifulrecycledaccessories.bigcartel.com that is made from recycled and reclaimed materials including scrap leather, clock parts and suitcases.

The 3 R’s are used a lot to explain how you can reduce your waste and live a more sustainable life. Of the the thousands of tonnes of rubbish that are produced by UK households and business each year, only a relatively small proportion is recycled. There is still a large amount of waste that ends up in landfill when it could be recycled. In 2006, UK clothing and textiles produced up to two million tonnes of waste, 3.1 million tonnes of CO2 and 70 million tonnes of waste water.  Textiles and clothing is an area where the 3 R’s can be applied very successfully for increased sustainability:

Reduce - buying higher quality clothes in classic styles that will not go out of fashion quickly is a great way to reduce your clothing waste and the environmental impacts associated with the manufacture of new clothes.  Buying second hand clothes is also a great way to reduce your environmental impact.

Reuse - Always look after your clothes and repair them when they get damaged. If you get bored with your clothes or they no longer fit, you can also alter, customise them or rework them.

Recycle - Try swapping, selling or donating your old clothes to charity. If it is no longer wearable you can also take it to a clothing bank and it can be recycled as rags.

Plastic bags are so last year. They never were exactly stylish but as consumers realise their devastating impact on they environment, they have become even less fashionable.

Plastic bags have become a huge problem with over 13 billion used in the UK each year. They can clog drains an dcause flooding and pollute rivers and streams. They can also kill animals and destroy plant life. They have a very short lifespan sometimes only minutes yet they can take a very long time to photodegrade.

 There are so many alternatives to a plastic bag for carrying your shopping in. I particularly like the idea of using a bag made from recycled materials for a really unique and stylish look and double environmentally friendly points.

Here are some of my favourite and very stylish reusable bags or alternatives to the plastic bag.

This Floral Recycled Shopping Bag is made using 100% recycled plastic bottles. It is available in a variety of designs but i love this cool retro style pattern. It is strong and light weight so can easily be rolled up.

If you like bright and colourful, then this shopping bag is for you. These stylish bags are made from recycled juice packs by a womens co operative in the Phillipines. The bags are strong and available in variety of shapes and sizes from large shopping bags to smaller handbags. The juice packets that they are made from contain foil and plastic which is non bio degradable and would otherwise go into landfill or incinerators.

This Re-sail tote bag is the ultimate in recycled and stylish alternatives to the carrier or plastic bag. It is made from 100% recycled sail cloth. Only a few of these bags are made and each one is totally unique.

This reversible vintage tote is made from recycled vintage materials. It is designed and handmade by Pouch. It is fully lined with recycled denim and the straps are made with recycled denim.

Si:Su is a label that design beautiful and ecological clothing and was founded by three graduates of Swansea Metroplitan University, Hanneke Van Ryswyk, Rachel Bryan and Helen Stew. The collections include casual for everyday wear and romantic pieces for special ocassions. All of the clothing is 100% recycled even the buttons and thread. Each item is completely unique and made from luxurious fabrics such as satins, silks and cottons with vintage ribbons and lace.

They also only use vegetable dyes and source all of their fabrics within the UK, especially in South Wales. All of the production is based in South Wales. The clothes are both nostalgic and contemporary with a handcrafted detail.

Yet another very good reason to go green. si:su can be found at Green Trading.

Eco fashion is every where at the moment, you only have to turn up at London Fashion week or go to your local high street and you will find eco fashion of one sort or another.  The main reason for it is that eco sells, consumers are becoming more aware of the impact that there fashion choices have on the environment and demanding that the clothing industry reduce it. Recycling and reworking of clothes is just one type of eco fashion that is on the rise. Recycling old clothes is probably the ultimate eco fashion. It reduces waste and also the environmental impact associated with manufacture of new clothes.

Recycling of clothes is nothing new. Sales of vintage and second hand clothes have shown huge growth in the last few years, but what is really on the rise is the reworking and refashioning of second hand and vintage clothing. Whilst many love second hand and vintage clothing just as they are, refashioning them into new pieces has the benefits of creating completely unique, designer and cutting edge.

The great thing about recycled and refashioned clothing is the way that old clothes, styles and fabrics inspire the designers to create something gorgeous and new. The new designs keep a bit of the history of the clothing from which they were made but also give consumers something fresh and exciting.

There are so many new labels that use recycled clothes to create new but Junky styling was probaby one of the first, deconstructing traditional suits from charity shops and jumble sales and reconstructed them to form twisted tailored pieces. Other great recycling ideas include turning old saris into sandals and leather jackets into hand bags.

DIY restyling and refashioning of clothes has also become hugely popular from changing shirts into dresses to dying prom dresses and wedding dresses, to changing jeans into skirts. There are a number now a number of blogs and online communities dedicated to restyling and refashioning of clothes.

Recycling and restyling of clothes is also getting further publicity through initiatives like alternative fashion week which has a strong emphasis on eco fashion and the choice of fashion graduates to use recycled materials in their final year projects and graduation shows.

picture from www.junkystyling.co.uk

What do you do with your beautiful wedding dress once your big day is over? You are very unlikely to wear it again, so why box it up and leave it in the attic to get moth eaten? Here are our favourite ideas for a second hand or worn wedding dress.

1. Dye it, shorten and make it into a prom dress, evening dress or cocktail dress

2. Make it into a christening dress

3. Make it into some gorgeous undies, a camisole or a baby doll nightie.

4. Make it to pretty cusion covers.

5. Use it to decorate a photograph album

6. Sell it on posh-swaps.com

7. Swap it for something completely different on Posh-swaps.com

8. Make it into Christmas tree decorations.

9. Make it into bautiful dolls clothes which you can give as presents to any little girls in your family or sell.

10. Do a good deed and donate it to charity.

For more great ideas on recycling wedding dresses, see this e how video by Julie Barbee of Frocky Jack Morgan.

picture from Flickr

picture from www.craftstylish.com

How to update an 80’s Prom dress - Threadbanger

This post gives detailed instructions on how to restyle an old prom dress so that it looks really up to date. It also allows a bit of your own creativity for a completely unique prom dress. A great idea if you hahen be ve an old dress packed up in the attic, I also wondered whether this could be applied to an old or second hand wedding dress that could dyed to make a very special prom dress.

a Shrug and Skirt Set out of an Old Sweater - Threadbanger

This is a great way to restyle a sweater. The skirt looks quite short but would look good worn with leggings. The shrug would look great with a vest top or a dress.

Board Shorts out of an old suit - Threadbanger

I love this idea, it could also be adapted to use a floral material, or whatever material you like for some different tailored shorts for the office.

A recycled necktie scarf - Craft Stylish

A great way t recycle old silk ties into a gorgeous scarf. You can pick the patterns / colours for the look that you would like to achieve.

Refashion a boring cardigan - Craft Stylish

This shows how to get a plain and boring cardigan and make it into something really different and unique. I love the colours of the cardigan.

Refashioned Blouse - this mama makes stuff

a great way to turn a shapeless blouse into a more fitted style and adjust the sleeves. This post shows how you can change or customise something if you don’t like it.

Refashioned denim skirt - Burda Style

Add new life to a denim skirt. The frills and paint give it a really up to date and cutting edge feel.

Vintage Lace Tank Top - Into the fray

Yet another great idea for making something very ordinary look special. I love the lace used on this one but you could use whatever trim you like.

Embroidered Hoody - Burda Style

A great way to recycle an old hoody. Again this technique could be used for all sorts of things including t shirts and polo shirts. You can really get creative.

Recycle old jeans into sandals - Wikihow

This video made by the thegreengirls.com shows you exactly what to do to make your old jeans into sandals. A great idea for  an old pair of jeans that has worn out and is no longer wearable.

I love the one shouldered dresses that are in the shops at the moment. I decided to have a go at making one myself using a dress that I bough from a charity shop for £5. It was a fairly easy project and only took an hour or two (not great pictures I am afraid but I hope to invest in a better camera soon). The dress was a navy long/ maxi style with an empire line. This is how I restyled and recycled it into a one shouldered dress.

1. I tried it on and worked out where to cut.

2. I finished the cut edge by turning over twice pressing and sewing.

3. I sewed part of an old scarf along the neckline.

4. I finished the cut edge of the other half of the scarf, tied around the empire line of the dress and secured with a few stitches on each side.

There are endless possibilities for restyling clothes into one shouldered dress or tops. You could embellish with all sorts of ruffles, flowers, patterned or contrasting trims made using a piece of clothing that is no longer wearable.