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I used to think upcycling old clothes was just a hobby, not real design.
Back in college, my professor in Chicago made us take apart a thrift store jacket and use the pieces for a new piece. I thought it was a waste of time. But after seeing how the seams and fabric from a 90s trench coat gave my final project a texture I couldn't buy, I was sold. It taught me more about construction than any new fabric ever did. Has anyone else had a project that completely changed their mind on a method?
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johnw427mo ago
Oh man, that's it exactly. It's the difference between reading a map and actually walking the trail. I see this all the time with tools now. People buy the fancy new digital thing, but they don't really get how it works until they're forced to fix the old broken version first. Taking something apart shows you the why behind the rules. That old jacket taught you structure in a way new cloth on a bolt just can't.
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miles9487mo ago
Spot on about fixing the old broken version. My rule is to never buy the new tool until I've taken the old one apart. You learn what actually matters versus what's just marketing. That hands-on mess teaches you more than any manual. It's the only way to really know if something's built to last or just built to sell.
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nancy_davis756mo ago
Wait, your professor made you do that in Chicago? I'm shocked they had a real class assignment based on thrift store finds. That's way more hands-on than I ever got in school.
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