How to customize a denim jacket ?

Do you have a denim jacket and would like to decorate it? Are you looking for original ideas to decorate it according to your style? With simple tutorials? 

I'll help you out. 

As a fashion enthusiast, I've always loved making my clothes my own by customizing them. Whether it's embroidery, sewing, or just changing a detail on an outfit, it's a way to define your own style. 

That's why, today, I'm sharing with you plenty of techniques and tips for customizing a simple denim jacket to make it truly yours. 

To customize a denim jacket, you can embroider plant or abstract patterns with cotton threads. It is also possible to change the buttons or even cover some yokes with a fancy fabric. You can also attach nails, or even paint it! All these options will make your garment unique and give it a second life. Whether you're bohemian or rock n' roll, DIY or not, there's bound to be a way to customize your denim jacket that suits you! 

Want to know more? Read the rest of this article to find out: 

• Why hippies decorated their denim jackets,
• What makes a personalized garment special,
• A simple tutorial toembroider designs on your denim jacket, 
• How to attach nails, buttons or even iron-on patches,
• Tricks to paint on your denim jacket. 

Customized denim jacket, a legacy of hippies

Also known as denim, denim is a fabric that is characterized by its great strength and durability. For this reason, at the beginning of the 20ᵉ century, it was mostly considered as a workwear reserved for workers. It is only from the 1960s in the USA that jeans will start to be worn in everyday life. We owe this to the hippies who decided to reinvent the jeans by customizing them, to display their ideals of freedom and their pacifist values. Denim clothing, especially jackets, will thus be adorned with colorful patterns featuring plants, inscriptions or even abstract drawings. On their jackets, hippies proudly represent what makes them unique. 

This tradition will be taken up in the 1980s by the bikers who will also customize denim jackets with studs and inscriptions to mark their membership in their community. 

Today, with the return to the forefront of thebohemian trend, directly inspired by hippies, we find this desire to customize his clothes. Are you tempted by the idea? It's time to give it a try! 

Why customize your denim jacket?

As we mentioned, the denim jacket is a very trendy garment, which you can wear every day and combine with many outfits. 

👉 Wondering how to wear it in a stylish way? Check out our article dedicated entirely to it right now, in which you'll find multiple outfit ideas, no matter your body type or taste.

Customizing your denim jacket allows you to make it your own: 

• It becomes unique and looks like no other,
• It allows you to assert your style, showing who you really are,
• This way you can match it to the rest of your wardrobe,
• It makes it an iconic piece of your wardrobe,
• It's a solid piece of clothing that you'll be able to enjoy for years! 

4 ideas to customize your denim jacket

Want to make your garment unique? You will find in the following lines several inspirations. It's up to you to find the one that suits you the most! 

Bohemian style: how to embroider on a denim jacket

Embroidery is a delicate and elegant way to personalize your denim jacket. Embroidered designs last over time and resist washing. To express your bohemian side, you can thus adorn your jacket with colorful flowers and arabesques. 

Are you afraid you won't be able to embroider successfully? Of course, if you're a neophyte, large, intricate designs may not be within your grasp without a little practice. However, it's entirely possible, without ever having held a needle, to start making simple and cute designs. 

I recommend sketching out your customization project in draft form, choosing colors and details, before you go shopping for your embroidery threads and needles. Then, here's how to proceed:

🔸 Wash your fabric well and sit in a bright place,

🔸 Start by embroidering the center of your designs, and then move outward. There are manysimple embroidery stitches that are detailed in this video:

🔸 This other tuto has some adorable and easy designs:

🔸 You can also add beads, brellas... to give your jacket some relief! 

👉 Would you like to adorn your jacket with an intricate pattern, but don't have the time or know-how? There are also iron-on embroideries that you can buy online or at a haberdashery. All you have to do then is place the design where you want to attach it and iron on the reverse side. This way you can personalize your jacket very easily! 

Change details on your jacket

Another way to customize your clothes is to change elements of them, to make them unique. 

In haberdashery stores, online or in stores, it is possible to find customized denim buttons. These can be colored, in a different shape... then you just have to find what best suits your style. Then all you need is a work surface, pliers and a mallet to remove the old button and replace it. 

👉 If you don't want to remove the fasteners from your jacket, you can also draw original buttons that you sew directly onto the fabric, just to look pretty. 

Do you have a nice coupon of fabric? You can also sew it onto your jacket:

• in the back between the shoulders,
• on the sleeves,
• creating fringes for an even more bohemian look! 

For a grungy effect, go for the studs! 

Fan of the rock 'n roll culture? Showcase your passion by adorning your denim jacket with studs. These can be found at most haberdasheries and hobby stores. They are not very expensive and make it easy to personalize a garment. 

To attach them, nothing could be simpler! Here's a quick video that shows you the process:

To complete your look, once the nails are attached, you can add badges or iron-on patches that feature your beliefs, favorite bands or even patterns that define you! 

Can you paint a denim jacket? If so, how? 

Would you like to draw a design and paint it on your jacket? It's possible: just choose a paint that holds up to washing and over time. For this, I recommend acrylic paints as well as Posca type markers, which allow you to make precise patterns. Regarding paints, you can find them directly in haberdashery. 

Once your jacket is cleaned, you can outline your designs with a chalk pen and then start painting, starting from the middle. 

Here's an example:

👰 Attention brides-to-be: the custom denim jacket has been very trendy in recent years and provides a perfect solution for those looking for something to cover up on their wedding day. It will fit in perfectly with a modern, bohemian or romantic ceremony and will make you a souvenir to carry forward afterwards!  You can have an inscription on it evoking the wedding, your name, the date of the day...

Where to find a personalized denim jacket? 

Don't have the time to customize your jacket yourself? It can be difficult to find a decorated denim jacket in the store, but fortunately there are specialized sites that offer such products.

So, I suggest you take a look now at our collection of bohemian jackets, among which you can find some of the models present on the illustrations of this site. You will also find on our site some original clothing to match your jacket and have a unique style! 

I hope this guide has helped you find how to customize your denim jacket. Feel free to share your ideas with me in comments: I'm curious to find out! 

And for those who would like to complete their denim look with a denim skirt, you can discover right now this blog post entirely dedicated to it!