What better footwear to go with the DIY IKEA raincoat we featured last week than these upcycled rain boots? (They even come in the same shade of ultramarine—sartorial kismet!) Conceived by Waste for Life by Louie Rigano, a senior at the Rhode Island School of Design, the sturdy and surprisingly chic galoshes are fabricated from plastic bags collected by cartoneros, or impoverished Argentineans who make their living collecting trash in Buenos Aires.
Now that IKEA has abolished plastic shopping bags in favor of reusable ones, some folks might have amassed more than their share of big blue bags. If that sounds like you, here’s a fun tip from reader Paul Mattingly on how to upcycle four of the Swedish carryalls into a sporty and conversation-starting raincoat. “The IKEA Raincoat is a thrifty and intelligent idea for keeping dry in the rain,” he tells us. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Paul!
+ Ikea Raincoat at Instructables
Instead of trading your old, beloved sneakers for a younger model, consider making them freshly wearable again with the sneaker restoration kit from JGoods. The custom-shoe company has cobbled a collection of tools (including brushes, sponges, finish remover, and leather paint) together to make your grimy kicks sparkle like new. No previous shoe-restoration experience is necessary. A comprehensive guide shows …
If you have feline friends to feed, chances are, you amass quite a few empty cat-food tins at the end of the day (I have three cats, so when I say “quite a few,” I actually mean “a ginormous pile”). While recycling these cans the old-fashioned way is certainly laudable, why not use this free metal to your advantage by upcycling it into some shiny new jewelry for yourself? Heaven knows you deserve it for being such a devoted cat parent. Just follow our simple instructions to make this cute ring in the shape of a cat or any other design you think is the cat’s meow.
Have last year’s Christmas lights been sapped dry of their holiday cheer? Don’t send them on their merry way to the landfill just yet. The perfect size for hanging from your ears or neck, these tiny lights can still shine with the addition of jewelry findings and some creative flair. Here, we show you how you can create your own holiday-themed accessories—for next to nothing—simply by seeing damaged goods in a whole new light.
Even if pajama-clad marathons of Project Runway are the closest you’ve gotten to playing fashion designer—Korto was ROBBED in the All Star Challenge—Berber Soepboer and Michiel Schuurman’s Colour-In Dress will have you rocking a frock of your own in minutes. Like a page from a coloring book, the fitted A-line shift is covered in a black-and-white print that you can fill in with the included textile markers.
A misplaced pearl earring. A locket with a lost chain. A glove missing its mate. We’ve all had run-ins with orphaned or defunct accessories, and oftentimes the heartbreak can be overwhelming. But the loss of an accessory doesn’t have to be the end of the world. With a little ingenuity and elbow grease, you can easily upcycle what you might consider trash into a brand new treasure. Here are six solutions for common wardrobe malfunctions that can be spiffed up in a jiffy.
Now that Halloween is over and you’ve filled up on sugary sweets, a ghoulish pile of non-recyclable candy wrappers remains to haunt you. Here’s a trick for bringing your dearly departed treats back from the dead: Turn the discarded plastic packaging into wearable gems. With a little bit of tracing and cutting, you’ll have brand-new, low-cost beads that will last you long after your sugar buzz is gone. Click below the fold to learn how.
If bags are your bag, but less so the eye-popping price tags or conspicuous excess, Faith and Justina Blakeney are the fairy godmothers you’ve been praying for to Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo your household detritus into swanky arm candy. Due to hit bookstores early next month, Refashioned Bags: Upcycle Anything into High-Style Handbags offers 24 upcycled carryalls, shoppers, totes, and clutches to emulate and inspire.
Why do shoes have such a hold over our imaginations? From blue suede to those made for walking, no other accessory has inspired as many songs or so much frenzied devotion. But why, if we adore our shoes so much, is it so easy to chuck them when they’ve gone out of style or have fallen into disrepair? Don’t they deserve better? Before you kick your old pair to the curb, check out our seven tips for refurbishing and refashioning your footwear—and get set to fall in love with your shoes all over again.
Sprig.com has joined the ranks of the dearly departed, but we unearthed this video taken by former Sprigette (and current friend of Ecouterre) Brit Liggett. Here, Kate Kolstad from Cluttershop demonstrates how you can turn a vintage apron into a fancy-lookin’ belt—all for under $10.
Photo by Eric Richardson
If you’re mesmerized by Raquel Allegra’s shredded tunics but can’t afford to cough up the serious moola it’ll take to make one of her distressed creations yours, consider making your own. (It’s not too much of a stretch, since Allegra worked with reclaimed shirts from the Los Angeles County jail to create her ethereal, lighter-than-air designs.) One crafty blogger posted a video tutorial that shows you exactly how, with little more than a T-shirt, a pair of scissors, and a seam ripper.
Nowadays, calling yourself a “green” clothing line can increase brand awareness, get you new clientele, and rake in the big bucks. So why in the world is avant garde New York design house SANS fervently denying their own eco-fashion status? It would be understandable if SANS, founded by Lika Volkova and Alessandro Do Vito didn’t use eco-friendly fabrics like organic cotton, soy and wild silk, or promote home-sewing your own clothing to reduce the heinous amount of fuel that goes into the garment industry – but they do. Are they just in the mood for self-sabotage or is there a logical explanation for SANS’ startling statement?
You don’t have to a be celebrity, a fashion designer or the editor of an eco fashion magazine to be able to rock eco-chic fashions. Green and cutting edge is in your grasp even if you’re working with a less than rockstar budget. While there certainly are a lot of labels out there that are priced above what the average person can afford, have no fear, there are plenty of clever ways to get that chic green look you’re going for. Read on for 5 easy and supercheap ways to make your wardrobe more sustainable without throwing away all your green.
