A fashion designer’s tips to give your old clothes a new lease on life

“To renovate is to build on from what’s already there.”

Most of us (except, perhaps, the most pious among us) have a hefty portion of our wardrobes that we no longer wear. They’re not strictly out of rotation, not quite ready to be sold or donated, but they hardly spark joy. It’s sad, really, given how much time and money we invest into curating wardrobes in the first place.

But if I’ve learnt anything in my decade of fashion media, it’s that creative styling can make tired clothing feel fresh again. Transporting a skirt upwards to become a top, rotating a tank to face backward or belting a dress over pants can all make your older pieces feel current again.

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If you’ve travelled down that route though, you might need to go a step further, taking drastic action to fall back in love with old pieces. Sometimes, you need to call in scissors, a needle and thread.

Erica Bowe, founder of Bowe Fashion, has a deft hand when it comes to creating new clothing from old. A master of upcycling (she calls it ‘renovating’), she has a distinct and refreshing eye for reworking old clothing. Her results go well beyond patchwork, embroidery and embellishments, what you’d normally expect from upcycled fashion.

In Erica’s world, anything goes. Rather than converting pants to shorts, she converts shorts to pants. T-shirts become skirts. A scarf, nightdress and jumper all simply become sleeves. Lucky for us, Erica is bursting with advice for others wanting to take a creative approach to their own wardrobes

Cut open at the seams

I initially purchased this hot pink ’80s ski jacket for a dress-up party, but it has since sat around collecting dust. It was too fabulous to remain unworn, so I knew it was time for a total transformation and I started conspiring a full transformation into sexy flares.

For a total clothing transformation such as these, you cut an item open at the seams and then lay out all your pieces, strategically positioning features on your new pattern. And don’t worry, I removed all the padding from this ski jacket before sewing the pieces back together so they are not sizzling hot to wear. I love how these pants turned out and I 100% wear them more than an ’80s ski jacket.

T-shirts have the best prints

One of my favourite things to upcycle are T-shirts because they’re cheap, soft and you can find some really cool prints.

The first pair of T-shirt pants I made was up-cycled from all my ex-boyfriend’s T-shirts. I wore them to death before realising I needed to create a pattern so I could reproduce them.

Since then I have made multiple combinations and colourways in a myriad of sizes. I also make T-shirt skirts which can be worn over the top or separately like this one.

Use your body as a canvas

One of my golden rules for upcycling is to use your body as a canvas. That means grabbing some clothing and experimenting with all the different ways you can drape it over your body in front of the mirror. This is a great way to learn about all the different ways fabric falls over the body and get some unique ideas.

Doing that was exactly how I designed this asymmetric sack dress, which is simply a tartan button-up shirt, upside down and wrapped around the body. I used a curtain cord for the strap and added length with leftover fabric scraps.

Don’t change what you love

This item was a gorgeous vintage blouse but it had terrible stains under the arms, so I decided to re-invent the sleeves to modernise the garment while staying true to what I loved about the item.

I carefully unpicked the sleeves and used a combination of pre-loved clothing to create dramatic bell sleeves in contrasting colours and textures. The effect offset the traditional silk blouse to create something new and unexpected.

Some of the garments I used for the sleeves include a scarf, nightdress and jumper. I also stitched tiny flowers on the front to repair small holes before re-shaping the hem to balance the exaggerated sleeves. This piece was worn with a fabulous skirt and matching headpiece on the catwalk.

Renovate to recreate

To renovate is to build on from what’s already there – like these pants which first started out as shorts. This is a great way to start an upcycled project as the foundations (like the zipper, waistband and pockets) are already there.

I extended these shorts into pants, using the front of an unwanted jacket and two tossed-aside T-shirts, pinning each panel onto the shorts while wearing them. Creating an item while it’s on the body is back-breaking work but it’s the best way to moderate the shape and fall to suit your frame.

I’ve made multiple pairs of pants from shorts like these and they are one of my most commonly worn creations as they’re comfortable and go with everything.

Make things easy for yourself

Using the top of an old pair of jeans to make an upcycled skirt is another beginner-friendly project to start your upcycling journey.

This one was made from a vibrant purple basketball shirt and a black business top. I also dyed a beige cardigan black to create an outer layer of texture reminiscent of a spider’s web.

When you use the top of a pair of jeans all the hard work like the zipper, waistband and pockets are already done and you can simply have fun adding layers of volume and colour to create your desired shape. I often hand-stitch my seams with chunky wool to make upcycled lines look more intentional.

Denim Never Dates

Denim is one of my favourite fabrics to up-cycle. Why? Because denim never dates, you can find it in abundance in op shops and, as a fibre, it takes a really long time to break down.

This denim trench was based on my favourite dressing gown which I refused to take off one freezing Melbourne winter. I created this pattern using the beloved dressing gown adding the lapel collar to elevate it from bedroom to ballroom. I’ve remade this treasure in multiple ways including all black, using stylish leather offcuts and hand-painted back pieces.

Lead with the features you love.

Can you believe that this gorgeous beaded skirt was once an uninspired grannie shape? Gorgeous fabric never passes me by and I knew this exquisite beading needed to be celebrated and re-imagined into a completely new shape

I set off to work cutting up some stained black and white tees to create an asymmetric style that could be layered over pants or rocked on its own. Worn with my beloved t-shirt pants, this was a fun and fabulous reinvention of something old and forgotten.

Keep up with Erica here.