Snatching Yeezy Swag: Grab some scissors, an old shirt and jam out to Kanye

An example of applying the same method to a different color shirt. Photo by Chante Foster | The Signal

As Spring transitions into the blazing summer months, it’s a great time to prep for next season’s wardrobe with hot swag. Get ready to rip your old shirt with one of the latest fashion trends. Here are step-by-step instructions for a Yeezy inspired T-Shirt.

The retail value for a Yeezy distressed shirt on Mother Theresa’s website ranges anywhere between $300 to $1000. That same price for the average college student can be spent on tuition, books and school supplies.

A good way to get the same style, while saving money, is to make use of clothes that you have hanging around your house.

Estimated time for project: 15 minutes

The first thing you’ll need is to gather supplies. This tutorial requires tweezers, a shaving razor, seam ripper (optional), scissors (both large and small), a pumice stone, and a shirt (preferably old and stretchy.)

Materials needed for the DIY project. Photo by Chante Foster | The Signal
Materials needed for the DIY project: tweezers, a shaving razor, seam ripper, scissors, a pumice stone, and a shirt.
Photo by Chante Foster | The Signal

Free styling is highly recommended, the easiest way to achieve this look is to start marking the shirt in areas where you intend to make cuts or distress marks.

Using a fabric pen or pencil to make marks will represent where you want the distress holes. Having a hard flat surface such as a table or counter is optional, but it will be beneficial for keeping the project still while you are ripping holes with the shaving razor.

Step One: Make a cut along the neckline of the shirt using a pair of small fabric scissors. You don’t want to remove the rim of the shirt, but this is also an optional choice. After cutting along the edge of the neckline, take the tweezers and pull out some of the frayed fabric. Then stretch the newly distressed area, to make the cuts look less intentional.

The image shows a small cut along the neckline of the shirt. Photo by Chante Foster | The Signal
The image shows a small cut along the neckline of the shirt.
Photo by Chante Foster | The Signal

Step Two: Go along the sleeves of the shirt using the same method that was applied to the neckline. With a pair of scissors or a seam ripper, remove the stitching around the edge of the sleeve.

Step Three: Take the large and small scissors and stab holes into the marked areas of the shirt. Try to place the holes in random places. Once the holes have been created in the desired location, use a pumice stone to smooth out the area for a finer distressed marking.

The effect that was made by rubbing a pumice stone on the fabric. Photo by Chante Foster | The Signal
The effect that was made by rubbing a pumice stone on the fabric.
Photo by Chante Foster | The Signal

Step Four: Place a book or hard flat material inside the shirt. Then stretch out the material in certain areas, and shave the fabric with the razor. Each of the tools, such as the scissors, pumice stone and razor will provide a different distress mark.

Step Five: Be creative, there are countless options for customizing your own Yeezy inspired shirt. You can also turn the shirt into a tank top, by removing the sleeves, or add safety pins for an edgy look.

Use your imagination, there are not mistakes when ripping clothes, the best thing that can be done, is turning that mistake into an interesting effect.

For visual instructions, check out Youtube. There are multiple videos that demonstrate how to make distressed shirts. One vlogger, Adam Atkins, has a three minute video on a Yeezy inspired shirt.

Final result of the DIY project. Photo by Chante Foster | The Signal
Final result of the DIY project.
Photo by Chante Foster | The Signal
An example of applying the same method to a different color shirt. Photo by Chante Foster | The Signal
An example of applying the same method to a different color shirt.
Photo by Chante Foster | The Signal