Fashion Upcycling

INTRODUCTION

When I was 13, I came across a picture of an “elephant sweater” on a blogging website called Tumblr. It was a two-tone sweater that had the silhouette of an elephant with its tusk as one arm. I thought it was the coolest sweater I’d ever seen. I couldn’t afford the one I saw online, so I decided to try to make it myself. I bought two sweatshirts for under $10 and found my Lola’s hand-sewing kit in a cookie tin. I pulled up a picture of the elephant sweater, threaded a needle, and sat on the hardwood floor of my living room. One day later, I had completed my very first sewing and upcycling project ever.

I’m Ysabel Hilado, a fashion ...