Regenerative Fashion: Giving old Clothes a new Life

By Mackenzie Smith

Never able to sit still, I was always trying new things as a kid. Eventually, I stumbled upon knitting, crocheting, and sewing. When I was 7, I took knitting lessons with my mom, and soon had countless unfinished projects all over my room. When I was 10, I got a sewing machine for my birthday and a few sewing lessons. Ever since, I have been feverishly creating as many things as I possibly can. For the last 9 years, I have been experimenting with as many different mediums as possible, trying as many new projects as possible.

My most recent obsession is with denim. Especially upcycling and thrifting it to make patchwork looks and new garments. I find it so satisfying to see something new come from something old in just a few steps. Additionally, denim is one of the strongest fabrics to work with and has the ability to look both structured and organic which is a quality I have always loved.

For this project, I knew I wanted to make a denim jacket. I have made a jean jacket before, but wanted this one to have a different look inside and out. I decided to make the entire outer shell from various recycled denim garments, while the lining is also recycled from fluffy blankets and pillows. In total, I used four pairs of jeans to make the piece, two being my dad’s old jeans and the others being my own.

I also wanted to make the jacket look mildly distressed and patched together, so I cut some of the pieces out of the wrong side of the fabric, which then incorporated multiple washes and tones throughout the piece. There were also a few patches and holes in my dad’s jeans that I felt would add character to the garment, so I made sure to include them in key areas of the jacket.

As I wrote above, denim is one of the strongest fabrics to work with, making it also one of the most difficult fabrics to work with. Throughout this project, I broke three different sewing needles, got sections stuck in the machine, and struggled to cut through layers of the fabric countless times. In addition, the most challenging parts of making this jacket were getting all the measurements correct before cutting and sewing anything out. Since I upcycled pairs of existing jeans, I had a limited amount of fabric.

I am very happy with the final product and have already worn it a few times. The faux fur lining makes the jacket both warm, but also elevated outerwear. I also love the androgenous quality that jean jackets possess, and I feel as though this jacket emphasizes that aspect, being somewhat oversized and intended for layering. I can already see myself wearing this jacket throughout the entire winter and styling it in a wide variety of ways.