Ways to Upcycle Your Old Pair of Jeans and Wear Them This Season

It’s difficult to put away your favourite pair of jeans even when you have worn them the nth time and they are fraying at the edges. So if you can’t wear your jeans in their present state and you can’t stash them away, then the best way out is to refashion them and give them a new lease of life. We have got designer Aaina Mahajan, founder of the label Mellow Drama and designer Avishi Kalra, founder of streetwear label ADK share innovative DIY ideas with us.  

1. “A pair of jeans that has torn from the centre can be fixed by using a sequins sheeting fabric and attaching it as a panel,” suggests Aaina. This will make the jeans look funky. “You can also pull out a few strands of denim threads above the panel you’ve stitched in, to give it a ripped and edgy look,” she adds. You can also glam up a pair of classic straight cut denim pants by sewing in a metallic fabric patch at the hem.  

2. Another way to wear old jeans is to pull out the denim threads at the bottom and give it nice fringe. “This frayed edge look always works. Pair this with a plain white shirt, or any top in solid colours, and you have created a look that is subtle, yet makes a statement,” says Aaina.   

3. A simple way to jazz up an old pair is to adorn the jeans with some colourful embroidery or embellish with stones and beads. “You can sew ready-made studs, patches,” suggests Aaina, if you do not know how to embroider.

4. A pair of light coloured linen or cotton pants can be quirked up by experimenting with tie and dye. “All you have to do is to tie them up in random spots all over the pants, splash the colours of your choice all over, wash and dry; and there you have a brand-new pair of pants covered in colours of your choice making for a perfect casual summer look,” says Aaina.

5. You can add a splash of colour to liven up an old pair of jeans. “If you are comfortable with paints and are good at art, you can also hop on to the trend of painting little pictures on the back pockets of your jeans. The best paints to use are acrylic paints and make sure to use a base paint to really make the colours pop out,” says Aaina. 

 

6. Avishi, however, gives a useful tip to your jeans. “Living in the current times, it’s important that we reuse what we have rather than throwing them away. At the moment, Face mask has become an essential accessorie for each one of us.  We can create a mask out of denim jeans, the best part is we can utilise the pockets and make it a utility based face mask. At the same time, with the left over denim panels, we can even create a laptop bag. Again the laptop bag will be best suited as you have front pockets to re use it,” she adds.