The Quarantine Revival of DIY

At Apocalypse, we *love* clothes. Seriously love ’em. We can look at and talk about clothing all day long! But, too often these days, the clothes we love are taking a toll on the planet and on the people. Fast fashion grants accessibility to trendy clothing to a wider range of people, but cheaper materials and labor means less longevity of the items and poor working conditions for factory workers.

On the other hand, sustainable fashion is notoriously expensive, and not necessarily the answer to solving the climate crisis. So what’s the middle ground? Of course, we’re big fans of clothing resale as a solution to balancing our love for fashion with our respect for the planet and her people. Today, we’re talking about resale’s funky sibling: DIY!

do! it! yourself!

Three photos. On the left, a profile of a person with long brown hair and a tattoo arm sleeve wearing sunglasses and a green and white flowered wool t-shirt sweater. In the middle, a photo of the body of someone wearing a light green dress and knee-high boots. On the right, a person with short blonde hair wearing a patchwork style zip-up vest. Their IG handles appear at the bottom "@sunwornvintage, @linmick, @theconsistencyproject."

please, do explain.

DIY, or do-it-yourself, is the trend that we’ve been seeing a lot lately – especially throughout quarantine. People are making, altering, and otherwise upcycling clothing, quilts, towels etc. Craft elements have been seen everywhere from entrepreneurial DIY-ers on Depop (such as Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris’s stepdaughter) to the RTW runways this spring (a la Marni, below).

DIY allows individuals to put their own spin on a specific trend or item, while also prolonging the longevity of existing clothing or repurposing old textiles — so it’s a great way to show off some of your personal style *and* do your part for the planet!

Two photos. On the left is a man wearing a ball cap and a crocheted color block cardigan. On the right, a person wearing a multi-colored, striped crocheted sweater and matching pants. Text reads, "Crocheting at Marni!" and "Patchwork cardigans at Aime Leon Dore!"

In the long confines of quarantine, crafting has surged in popularity (maybe you’ve done some DIY-ing yourself in the past year). People had lots of time on their hands, limited budgets, and brain-numbing boredom that had to be absolved! For example, Dana, of Instagram brand Sunworn Vintage, started her business of upcycling vintage towels into clothing after losing her job due to COVID.

DIY is also likely borne out of cottagecore, an aesthetic influenced by Romanticism and the arts and crafts movement. While cottagecore was popular before quarantine (see: the rise of Batsheva), being forced to stay at home allowed people to further lean into their idyllic home-making fantasies. Cottagecore can be thought of as a pushback against mass consumerism, in that the focus is on making your own products, whether that’s clothes or food. In this sense, cottagecore and DIY share the same heart: self-reliance, expression, and environmental awareness.

Trends to Watch

Three photos. On the left, someone wearing a mostly red and white patchwork, quilted jacket. In the middle, someone wearing a crocheted sweater, and on the right, Jordan Peele wearing a green and cream crocheted sweater on the cover of WSJ. The text reads, "Quilting. Our sweet friend + customer Jen wears a jacket from @psychic.outlaw <3, @huntandhammer, Jordan Peele in custom Bode for WSJ 2019."

Three photos of people wearing various patchwork garments. Text reads, "Quilting's sibling, patchwork, has also shown up in aesthetics far flung from cottagecore, such as streetwear. @veryadvanced, @ellaemhoff, @theconsistencyproject"

Three photos. On the left, a photo of someone wearing pink mid-calf boots with @zigzaggoods below it. In the middle, the back side of someone wearing multi-colored patchwork pants with @dualipa under it. The text to the left of it reads, "Dua Lipa sports a custom pair of hand-painted pants by artist @lovekat95 :)"On the right, someone holding up three identical handbags with cross-stitched lobsters on them. @prawn_cocktail appears below it. The word "Painting" appears at the bottom of the overall image.

So… what do you think? Is there a place for DIY in your closet? (The answer is most likely yes!)

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