I've been up-cycling clothing in the Tampa Bay area for over 3 years now and thought I would share my personal process with my sustainable supporters.
First is selecting a good thrift store. Here is a list of thrift stores in the Tampa area. Thrifting is a skill in itself. You want to make sure you're going in with a goal in mind of what you're looking for. Clothing tags can tell a-lot about a garment, from what it's made from, where it was made, and even when it was made. Vintage denim and cotton t-shirts are always a good choice because they are easily up cycled. Some brands that Tailor Sallee looks for when thrifting is Levi Strauss, Wrangler, Lee, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger & NASCAR. Don't give up if you don't find anything, thrift stores get weekly donations and get new inventory very quickly. Also, some thrift stores have daily specials that can save you a-lot of money.
Next, we bring our Fresh Finds back to our studio and decide how we want to rework each garment. There are plenty of DIY videos on YouTube to help you step by step with the reworking process. You can also take a garment from your closet and use it as a pattern! One of our favorite styles to re-work right now are t-shirts.
Check out some of our reworks below:
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