Crafty Designers
See how crafting and fashion go hand in hand. Check out these fashion designers who incorporate crafting techniques into their designs. Be inspired to “do your own thing” and create something unique to you, even if you don’t have advanced skills. Share your creations! I’d love to see them.
Coral Castillo
Coral is a Fashion Designer and Macrame Artist. She was a runner up on Season 19 of Project Runway and winner of STITCHED, Episode 5 on Hulu.
Born in Mexico City, Coral incorporates the craft of macrame, which she learned growing up, into elaborate designs that adorn stunning evening wear collections and accessories. She is passionate about sustainable fashion, incorporating eco-friendly materials into her designs.
Angelina of BluePrintDIY
Although sewing in itself is a craft. I have yet to hear anyone refer to upcycling as a craft. I have however, heard it referred to as an art. As an upcycler myself I can attest that both are true. I have a short list of favorite upcycle influencers and this woman is at the top of my list.
I’ve been following Angelina of BlueprintDIY for several years. She is committed to sustainable fashion and encourages everyone to “REMAKE YOUR CLOTHES TO BE JUST AS UNIQUE AS YOU ARE!”
Although Anglina grew up in a family of sewists, she was actually a licensed architect before this current phase of life. That experience would be helpful to understand patterns but Angelina rarely uses them.
The Texas based mother and business woman has a familiar delivery and her openness to share her techniques is refreshing. She has more than 200 free tutorials on her YouTube channel for various levels of sewists, including a considerable amount of no sew designs. She even lets us see when things don’t go quite right and as a lesson to us all she keeps pushing through, whether it’s an upcycle or unexpected life event.
Angelina also offers her designs from her label, Blueprint Signature, for sale if you don’t want to try the upcycles yourself.
Angelina is a powerhouse! She’s been featured on the Tamron Hall Show and The Drew Barrymore Show. She also has her own fans waiting for the next season of her upcycle competition series, Next Top Upcycler, in which she gets contestants from all over the world to participate. They share their very unique and impressive fashions as well as their creative processes and the emotional journey of having to create something on a limited amount of time.
Angelina recently moved to a commercial space is moving her team into a larger location after only a year!
This is a throwback video about her fashion show in 2020. She’s been so busy growing that she hasn’t had a new one but it’s timeless and a perfect example of who Angelina is and how she encourages me to “be afraid and do it anyway”.
Peer Cox
What would you get if you upcycled Bill Nye the Science Guy and Mugler?
Peer Cox.
Watching Peer Cox is like getting a jolt of electricity in your brain and funny bone at the same time. Peer is a sustainable Fashion Designer in Germany. His creations include various crafting techniques, fabric manipulation, science, and pure nerve.
He is high on the list of my favorite upcyclers. He’s also my “go to watch“ when I’m feeling down because not only is he a brilliant creative mind but he is HILARIOUS!
I’ve yet to try an upcycle featured on his YouTube Channel because I just get stuck and can only watch in awe, with bursts of laughter in between. You will be amazed and inspired to do and learn all manner of new craft skills while redesigning existing clothing.
I get so excited about the endless possibilities involved in fabric manipulation when watching Peer burn holes in fabric creating his own textiles, or watching him melt hundreds of broken CD pieces with a tea light candle to create a beautiful bag. What about Micro-molding leather? He will try any and everything with outstanding results.
Fair warning you may want to consider investing in a gas mask or some similar apparatus if you are going to try some of these experiments.
Peer also has a lot of content that is not as daunting as fabric manipulation. His “copy cat” videos show you how to re-create aspects of some of the more complex looking and very expensive clothing at home – many times by just hand sewing.
Peer’s style is fearless and fashion forward. I may not be able to wear exactly what he wears but I can definitely borrow aspects to create something customized for me. Sometimes people forget that inspiration should stimulate, not imitate.
His imagination is off the charts. Someone needs to develop a vehicle for him on Netflix. Check him out.
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