How to Personalise a Denim Jacket?

Do you have a denim jacket that you’d like to embellish? Are you looking for some creative ideas to personalise it to suit your style? With some easy tutorials?

I will help you.

As a fashion enthusiast, I've always loved making my clothes my own by personalising them. Whether it's through embroidery, tailoring, or simply altering a detail on an outfit, it’s a way to define my own style.

That’s why today, I’m sharing with you plenty of techniques and tips to customise a plain denim jacket, transforming it into a garment that truly reflects your style.

To customise a denim jacket, you can embroider plant or abstract patterns using cotton thread. You can also replace the buttons or even cover some sections with a decorative fabric. Furthermore, you might attach studs or even paint it! All these options will make your garment unique and give it a new lease of life. Whether you’re bohemian or rock 'n' roll, handy or not, there’s definitely a way to personalise your denim jacket that suits you!

Want to know more? Read on to discover:

• Why hippies decorated their denim jackets,
• What makes a customised garment unique,
• A simple tutorial on how to embroider patterns onto your denim jacket,
• How to attach studs, buttons, or iron-on patches,
• Tips for painting on your denim jacket.

The customised denim jacket, a legacy of the hippies

Also known as denim, jeans are a fabric renowned for their durability and longevity. For this reason, at the beginning of the 20th century, they were primarily viewed as workwear intended for manual labourers. It wasn't until the 1960s in the USA that jeans began to be worn as everyday attire. This shift can be attributed to the hippies, who transformed jeans by personalising them to express their ideals of freedom and pacifist values. Denim clothing, particularly jackets, became adorned with colourful patterns featuring floral designs, slogans, and abstract artwork. Hippies proudly showcased what made them unique on their jackets.

This tradition was revived in the 1980s by bikers, who customised denim jackets with studs and inscriptions to signify their affiliation to their community.

Today, with the resurgence of the bohemian trend, inspired directly by the hippie movement, there is a renewed desire to personalise our clothing. Does this idea appeal to you? Now is the perfect time to give it a go!

Why personalise your denim jacket?

As mentioned, the denim jacket is a highly stylish garment that can be worn every day and paired with a variety of outfits.

👉 Are you wondering how to wear it in style? Check out our article dedicated to this topic, where you'll find numerous outfit ideas, regardless of your body shape and personal taste.

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

• It becomes unique and unlike any other,
• This allows you to express your style, showing who you truly are,
• You can match it with the rest of your wardrobe,
• It makes for an iconic piece in your closet,
• It’s a durable garment that you can enjoy for years to come!

4 Ideas for Customising Your Denim Jacket

Do you want to make your clothing unique? In the following lines, you will find several inspirations. It's up to you to choose the one that suits you best!

Bohemian Style: How to Embroider on a Denim Jacket?

Embroidery is a delicate and stylish way to personalise your denim jacket. Embroidered designs are long-lasting and withstand washing. To express your bohemian side, you can adorn your jacket with colourful flowers and swirls.

Are you worried about not being able to embroider? Of course, if you're a beginner, intricate designs may not be within your reach without some practice. However, it is entirely possible, even if you've never held a needle before, to start creating simple and lovely patterns.

I recommend sketching out your customisation project in rough, selecting your colours and details, before you go off to buy your embroidery threads and needles. Next, here’s how to proceed:

🔸 Wash your fabric thoroughly and settle down in a bright location,

🔸 Start by stitching the centre of your designs, then work your way outwards. There are many simple embroidery stitches that are detailed in this video:

🔸 This other tutorial offers you adorable patterns that are easy to create:

🔸 You can also add some beads, charms... to add texture to your jacket!

👉 Would you like to embellish your jacket with an intricate design, but feel short on time or expertise? There are also iron-on embroidery patches available for purchase online or in haberdasheries. Simply position the patch where you'd like to attach it and press with an iron from the reverse side. This way, you can easily personalise your jacket!

Update the Details of Your Jacket

Another way to personalise your clothing is to alter certain elements to make them unique.

In haberdasheries, whether online or in-store, it's possible to find custom denim buttons. These can come in various colours and shapes; you just need to find the ones that best match your style. All you need then is a workspace, a pair of pliers, and a mallet to remove the old button and replace it with the new one.

👉 If you don’t want to remove the fastenings from your jacket, you can also hunt for original buttons to sew directly onto the fabric, simply for decorative purposes.

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

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

For a grunge effect, go for the studs!

A fan of rock 'n' roll culture? Showcase your passion by embellishing your denim jacket with studs. These can typically be found in most haberdasheries and craft stores. They're relatively inexpensive and allow you to easily personalise a garment.

It couldn't be easier to fix them! Here’s a short video that explains the process:

To complete your look, once the studs are in place, you can add badges or iron-on patches that reflect your beliefs, your favourite bands, or patterns that represent you!

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

Would you like to design a pattern and paint it on your jacket? It's definitely possible: you just need to choose a paint that is durable and can withstand washing. For this, I recommend acrylic paints as well as Posca markers, which allow for precise designs. As for the paints, you can find them easily at your local haberdashery.

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

Here is an example:

👰 Attention future brides: the personalised denim jacket has become very fashionable in recent years and offers the perfect solution for those looking for something to wear on their wedding day. It will fit beautifully into a modern, bohemian or romantic ceremony, and will serve as a keepsake to wear afterwards! You can customise it with an inscription related to the wedding, your name, the date of the occasion, and more...

Where to find a customised denim jacket?

Don’t have the time to customise your jacket yourself? It can be challenging to find a decorated denim jacket in stores, but fortunately, there are specialised websites that offer such products.

So, I invite you to take a look right now at our collection of bohemian jackets, where you can find some of the styles featured in the illustrations on this site. You will also discover on our site original clothing to match with your jacket and achieve a unique style!

Tunics and blouses

I hope this guide has helped you discover how to customise your denim jacket. Please feel free to share your ideas in the comments: I'm keen to see what you've come up with!

And for those who wish to complete their denim look with a denim skirt, you can now check out this dedicated blog post!