Reject Fast Fashion, Embrace DIY

In the present day it seems like every piece of clothing we wear doubles as an advertisement. When you get dressed in the morning, do you think about how warm you’ll be throughout the day, or do you plan on endorsing the Columbia brand to everyone you pass? 

Do-it-yourself (DIY) fashion isn’t just about being creative or thrifting anymore, nowadays being able to edit your own clothes is how we can reclaim our clothes being an expression of us and just us, not a company that wants to use us as free advertising.  

Entering the world of DIY clothes is easier than ever now as campuses, libraries, and online forums are working to take fashion back into their own hands. 

At the Vancouver Community Library, sewing workshops have become a regular event, with sewing machines provided to those who want to learn basic stitching to repair even a single worn pair of pants, or customize entirely new clothes instead of shopping. 

The ArtX club on campus hosts a screenprinting workshop every semester for students to design and print their own shirts, totes, or whatever else you can throw ink onto. The internet is always a trusty resource for finding the simplest at home techniques for patching jeans, dying thrifted dresses a new color, or cutting up shirts into a new shape.  

Whether the clothes are only slightly altered with a patch or straight up sewn from scratch, DIY clothing will always say more about individuality than any sports brand or fashion company ever could, and I promise you’ll get more questions and compliments on your swag if its something no one else can just go out and buy! 

So step outside the system and upcycle your fashion sense into something that’s truly yours, a bit of bleach and a sewing needle can be a way for you to wear your personal autonomy right there on your sleeve (literally) in an era of fast fashion and faster trends.