Shopping in Your Own Closet: Avoiding Microtrends

Have you ever purchased an item of clothing you love, only to find out that in just a few weeks it’s gone out of style? 

This phenomenon relates to the concept of microtrends, or fashion trends that experience a brief surge in popularity before quickly dying out. The advent of social media platforms like TikTok makes certain styles go in and out of fashion in short durations of time. 

Because of this, the “must-haves” in your wardrobe change nearly every week. Cottagecore, checkerboard prints, and even particular items of clothing, like these famed patterned pants that dominated TikTok, are all examples of these trends that enjoyed the spotlight before falling back into darkness. Microtrends are great for fast fashion brands like Shein and ASOS, who profit off cheaply-produced clothes with a quick turnaround time. 

Trends can dictate fashion influencers and consumers alike, leaving people thinking they have to redo their wardrobe each time a new trend comes on the scene. 

That doesn’t have to be the case. Of course, obvious alternatives to microtrends and fast fashion include buying from sustainable brands and shopping at second-hand stores. But “ethical” brands can be out of a lot of people’s price range, and second-hand stores don’t always have a wide range of sizing options. 

Many of us ignore the older clothes that have been sitting in our closets, unworn for years. But the clothes you already own can turn into a shopping spree and a new creative outlet in themselves. 

Graphics Go Femme

Ella Johnson, a 20-year-old from Southern California, is an expert in upcycling and finding magic in the clothes you already own. She started her own brand, Graphics Go Femme, in 2019 after being introduced to screen printing by her high school art teacher. 

“I fell in love with it and quickly started printing my own personal designs on old stuff in my closet,” said Johnson. “Before I started screen printing, I was sourcing vintage and reselling it on Depop and Instagram, as well as just reselling my old clothes in general. I also started painting on my old jeans and selling customs.” 

Johnson’s creative journey represents a growing number of young people who are thinking outside the box with their personal fashion and avoiding the confines of microtrends. Johnson is able to use designs that come from her heart and the things she loves in every Graphics Go Femme drop. Instead of participating in other people’s ideas of what’s trendy, retooling what you already own can add new depth to your own personal expression. 

“My favorite thing about expressing myself through fashion is the independence, creativity and control I get from getting to be able to choose how I present myself,” said Johnson. 

Photos provided by Graphics Go Femme.

Johnson began her journey with the clothes in her own closet. Don’t underestimate the tops and jeans stuffed into drawers or stuck in the back of closets; even if they aren’t your style or you’re bored with them, there are still plenty of options to get them back to your personal liking. 

“I modify the clothes that are already in my closet by either sewing things to fit better, cutting the hems off of pants and shirts and screen printing on plain basics,” said Johnson on her upcycling process. 

Additionally, if you have an entrepreneurial itch, take it to the next level and share these pieces with the world by creating your own designs. Although social media’s effect on fashion has its downsides, it also enables people like Johnson to share their art and connect with people who share a similar vision. As the sole proprietor of Graphics Go Femme, Johnson enjoys the creative outlet and the freedom to do what she wants with her company in the future.

“My favorite part of running Graphics Go Femme is interacting with customers and getting to see people get excited about my clothing and feeling confident in my clothes,” said Johnson, on the best part of running her company.

Anyone can follow in Johnson’s footsteps and follow this avenue of artistic expression. Even after Graphic Go Femme’s success, she continues to source vintage or second-hand pieces for her brand and reworks her own clothes to stay as sustainable as possible. 

“The advice I would give to anyone who wants to upcycle their clothing is to invest in a sewing machine! It’s saved me so much money from fixing my own clothes and vintage pieces that just don’t fit quite right,” said Johnson. “I would also say find a way to express yourself creatively through whatever you're making and don’t be afraid to try new things and wear whatever you want! Trends go in and out of style all the time, and everyone will have an opinion on what you're wearing, good or bad, but at least they’ll have an opinion!” 

Here are essential ways to get started and shop your closet.

Modifying T-shirts

The easiest way to get excited about a shirt you may have forgotten about is to whip out some scissors and cut away. 

“Everybody has a ton of t-shirts in their wardrobe, especially if you’re a music fan like me, and sometimes I get sick of the way they fit,” said Carolyn Nguyen, a student and upcycling enthusiast. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve given a t-shirt a second life by reworking it for my taste.”

You can do this just by cropping it, cutting the sleeves into a tank top, or distressing it by stretching out the hems and giving it a more vintage feel. 

Rework Pants

The biggest problem with pants is not necessarily with the waist, but actually with the shape and length of the pants. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a shift from the cropped kick flare to the straight-leg mom jeans, to the huge, wide-leg, utility pants. 

“The biggest way I modify my pants is by cutting them to my desired length, which gives them a whole new feel and look,” said Nguyen. “The only skill you need is the ability to use scissors and measure each cut so that they are even.”

You can turn pants into shorts of any length, turn long bootcut legs into cropped flares, and make some boring old jeans exciting again by adding holes or tears in various places. 

Painting Your Pieces

“I’ve been drawing on clothes since junior high school,” said Nguyen. “I love using just plain Sharpies to doodle on old t-shirts or tank tops; it’s such a fun thing to wear your own art or make your own message and sport it on a shirt.” 

Fabric markers, fabric paint or Sharpies will work on shirts and tops if you wash sparingly. Paint works on jeans especially and is equally a great way to upcycle and create something one-of-a-kind. 

From revamping your old clothes, and even creating your own brand of one-of-a-kind fashion, shopping in your own closet for the latest trend is a great way to stay true to yourself and upcycle what you already have.