Best DIY Distressed Denim Tips

Pioneered by the likes of Kylie Jenner and Rihanna, distressed denim is a huge trend right now! This season is all about making your look your own, and what better way than with a spot of DIY?

Autumn is nearly here, this season is all about finding a look and making it your own. They best way to do this is to DIY clothing. Started by the likes of Kylie Jenner and Rhianna, distressed denim is huge right now. From dresses to men’s shirts and old jeans that are so last season and listen up, as party dresses retailer QUIZ explains how to create your own distressed denim.

Step 1: Prepare

It’s extremely tempting to throw yourself at your old denim with the scissors and start cutting anywhere but the trick is to make your denim look lived in.

Make sure your denim has been cleaned thoroughly and is dry. Put the jeans on and work out which areas you want to distress. Pockets, knees and the bum are popular parts to modify, as they are the areas of the jeans that naturally wear and tear. Use chalk to mark out where you want to distress.

Step 2: Rip!

Once you’ve decided where your tears will be, stuff a magazine or thick cardboard inside the jeans, positioning it under the area. This will make sure you only cut one side of the jeans and not both!

Carefully use a safety knife to cut the rips — it’s best to vary the lengths of your rips to create a natural-looking tear. Loosely aim to create a diamond shape using varying sized cuts.

Once you have made the cuts, the next step is to make them look frayed. Along the edge of each cut, gently tease the horizontal white threads using a safety pin, being careful not to break them. Then, using tweezers, pluck out the vertical threads to leave just the white horizontal threads. Repeat this for each cut you have made.

Step 3: Distress!

Sandpaper has never really had a place in the fashion world until now. Take a piece of sandpaper and rub it across sections of your jeans. Doing so will create a natural-looking colour fade, perfect for adding the fishing touches to your distressed denim creation.

Step 4: Patch it up

Patches are a great way to add an even more personal touch to your denim. Bright floral motifs are in vogue and practically leap off distressed denim to give you an eye-catching contrast of grunge and chic. If you want a subtle embellishment, why not go with lace? This is a classic feminine fabric that will dress up your modern distressed denim with retro charm for the ideal smart-casual look.

QUIZ has a collection of jeans with this type of detailing, or you could go truly customised and sew on your own patches.

Follow our tips and create a pair of jeans that will have everyone asking where they are from. Sounds like too much hard work?