The 10 Most Creative Ways to Customize Your Clothes
Are you still having nightmares about that time you showed up to prom wearing the same dress as your friend… or worse, your frenemy? Yikes. Been there, done that. Well, one of the best parts about being an adult (and out of the prom nightmare) is knowing your likes and dislikes when it comes to what you wear and refining your style. And while you might not think about it this way, those are actually some of the things that make you creative every day.
We're celebrating creativity at this year's Re:Make 2015 in SF (get tickets here!), and to get you pumped up (and stylish), we handpicked 10 clothing brands that let you completely customize your entire wardrobe, from a game-changing footwear company that lets you build your dream shoes from the ground — or should we say heel? — up to clothing brands that let you personalize silhouettes like a full-fledged fashion designer. Scroll below to start mixing and matching colors and materials to create that one-of-a-kind something you love. The best part? You can rest assured that when you show up at the conference, no one will be wearing what you are ;)
Shoes of Prey
You can really let your creativity all hang out with Shoes of Prey's “Design Your Own Shoe" option. With a myriad of colors and materials — blue suede, tan vegan, green leather, zebra print calf hair, silver patent — the combinations are endless. And guess what? You can catch Co-Founder and Director of Fashion of Shoes of Prey, Jodie Fox, on stage at Re:Make in SF.
1. Pop of Glitter + Zebra Heeled Sandals ($199): It’s so much fun putting together and taking apart different ideas for shoes. This bright combo mixes materials and patterns, but comes together in a really chic way. These shoes are made for a girls’ night out.
2. Flirty Blue Suede Smoking Slippers ($199): You can add (or not) everything down to the height of the heel, trim and detail on the front of this slipper. The navy suede upper + neon pink accents are bold and a little funky, but also super versatile.
Christina Kober Designs
Christina Kober, a Tennessee-based maker, began taking jewelry classes to help better understand her father’s jewelry supply business. From there, Christina Kober Designs was born in 2007.
3. Custom Fortune Cookie Bracelet ($79): Customize your own fortune with whatever motivational phrase moves you. Maybe it’s your personal mantra, your kids’ names or a special date — you have up to 66 characters to express yourself.
4. Custom Message Collar Stays ($82): These super sweet custom sterling silver collar stays are the perfect groom’s gift, graduation present or just-because gesture for the special fella in your life. You can write up to 33 characters on these stays (including spaces) to let them know how you feel.
Bow & Drape
Bow & Drape’s signature long-sleeved and short-sleeved sweatshirts are made with a vintage raglan cut. On their site, they also boast that it is “literally the softest sweatshirt you’ll ever wear.” They’re not limited to sweatshirts, either — they also have tees, totes, makeup bags and dog sweaters. If that’s not appealing enough, Bow & Drape is great at putting lots of sequins at your creative disposal. If you need some inspiration, check out their customer gallery for some super punny and bedazzled designs.
5. Hangry Sweatshirt ($55): This is one from their Food Lovers collection. But hey, you can change it however you please. Take out that banana, put a whole sequined pizza pie on there, change the wording and just go wild with your dream menu.
6. Lisa Frank Tee ($45): Here’s another one from their pre-made collection, and it’s next-level. Tie-dye, Lisa Frank and unicorns? Daaang, talk about nostalgia. Get on the site and make your own straight-out-of-the-’90s tee.
Gigglosophy
Gigglosophy, a Sacramento-based jewelry line, is an expert at toeing the line between sophisticated and playful. While they’ve got lots of adorable options in their collection, it’s their customizable stuff that really shines.
7. Custom Initial Ring ($36): Put you and your loved one’s initials on this dainty little ring. The flat bar in front + your initials makes this a super unique piece that none of your friends will have… unless you buy it for them.
8. Custom Gold Name Necklace ($42): You could customize a name necklace if you wanted to — but you don’t have to. This gold necklace gives you up to seven characters to create the necklace you truly want.
Laudi Vidni
Laudi Vidni was founded by two Harvard Business School grads and friends who wanted to help women get the exact bag they want, no buts about it. Each bag you customize is available for at-home try-on and is constructed in Chicago.
9. Sonata Messenger Bag ($325): This easy messenger tote has a denim body, a floral flap, a brown leather strap and gold hardware. It’s a casual summer bag that is perfect to take along with you for vacations, road trips or just a trip to the grocery store.
10. Tempo Envelope ($225): This fuchsia leather clutch is definitely a statement piece for a night out on the town. The handy gold wristlet strap ensures that your clutch will go where you go… wherever the night may take you.
Tinker Tailor
If you truly want to splurge, check out Tinker Tailor, a luxury brand that creates beautiful customized clothes so you can really feel like a high-end designer. CEO of the site Aslaug Magnusdottir also founded Moda Operandi, the site that brought exclusive designer trunk shows online.
11. Polka Dot Sateen Alexa Dress ($625): This preppy yet on-trend A-line cut is exactly the type of dress you could wear to a wedding or a garden party. Pick and choose the type of collar, pattern and embellishments you want.
12. Sardines and Lemons Grace Dress ($350): A sardine and lemon print? We promise your friends will not be showing up to brunch wearing anything similar. Of course, this sleek, one-shoulder style can be designed however you’d like.
Vans
Perhaps you’ve already got a pair of those classic Vans on, but the site also offers shoe, backpack and hat customization. Put together different patterns and colors, and even pick out the decal you want to build your own pair of Vans unlike anyone else’s — and no, they don’t have to look like sneakers.
13. Old Skool Backpack II ($55): Here, you can get your very own floral print Vans Old Skool Backpack. Or, don’t go with floral. Go with polka dots. What’s great about customization is the world is your oyster.
14. Customized Era Women Shoes ($65): It’s super fun to see your creation come to fruition. Yes, absolutely wear flamingos on your feet if you want to. The best part is, no matter how you customize these shoes, the price stays the same.
eShakti
E-commerce site eShakti’s motto is “We design. You customize.” How it works is pretty simple. The brand already has pre-designed items, and you can then specify skirt length, custom sizing and sleeve type, and you can even add pockets. They’ve got a huge inventory, so get lost in there and have fun.
15. Cactus Crepe Joggers ($45): The baggy pant trend should just stick around forever. These lightweight crepe joggers are great for dressing up or dressing down, and the cactus print is definitely unique. Lengthen and shorten the pant leg as you please.
16. Seagull Print Midi Dress ($45): This cheery blue number is kind of a throwback to the ’50s. It’s perfect for a beach boardwalk day with bright red lips, a straw hat and big old Hollywood glam sunglasses. Plus, the seagulls are a cute touch.
Matters of Delight
According to their site, Matters of Delight is “inspired by geometry, clean lines and a touch of whimsy.” Their pieces are excellent, especially if you like layering your necklaces. While they have plenty of great designs to choose from in their collections, you can also customize your own jewelry pieces on their site.
17. Custom Name/Word Necklace ($185): Everyone should have their own “Carrie” necklace by now (well, insert your own name), and Matters of Delight wants to make sure you do. You can also submit a word or phrase of your choice to have to them turn into something wearable and awesome.
18. Custom Plastique Necklaces (Price upon request): What’s cool about this company is you can pretty much pitch them any idea and they will try to make it happen. They can also create plastic pendants, like the area code ones above, so you can rep your city.
Knyttan
We’ve talked about how cool this UK-based knitting company was before, but we’ll talk about it again. Knyttan allows you to design your own sweaters, blankets and scarves on their site. Change the color scheme, shrink or enlarge the pattern and create a one-of-a-kind jumper that will make all your friends go, “Where did you get that?”
19. Knitiscape Jumper ($312): The ability to maximize or minimize the print as much as you want means you can really customize your look. Go big and bold with your print, and we guarantee all eyes will be on you.
20. Blanket Scarf ($250): You’ll definitely be able to unleash your inner artist when it comes to designing this gorgeous merino wool blanket scarf. Not only do you get to determine the colors of the scarf, but you also get to “draw” (well, with you touchpad, anyway) how densely you want the light-color thread to be distributed. Now that’s interactive!
Have you gotten your tickets to Re:Make yet? If not, get ’em here!!
Will you be trying out any of these customizable clothing sites? Or do you have any favorite sites we missed? Tell us in the comments below!