Freshman at Old Dominion University, Monique Andrews talked to me about the new craze in fashion right now: thrifting.

College students and young adults all over the country are getting involved in this vintage-style fashion that all the celebrities seem to be wearing.

Andrews finds old high-waist jeans from the ‘90’s and remakes them by any means necessary, i.e. cutting, bleaching, tearing or washing. This gives the jeans a vintage look.

Although these vintage-style jeans can sell for hundreds of dollars in high-end boutiques and shops, Andrews pays an average of $2.50 per pair of jeans.

I asked Andrews how she got her start in making the jeans and what it takes to make a pair of vintage jeans.

“I discovered thrifting at my school, ODU because everybody’s going into the retro kind of vintage era again- it’s kind of repeating itself. It’s really cool actually, I think it’s really different and unique. Everybody has their own ways and everybody can put their own style into it. It’s really personalized.”

Andrews went on to explain how she finds her jeans.

“You go to the thrift store because these high- waist pants are not found in the store and if they are, they’re extremely expensive. Usually if a jean is high-waist, there are buttons at the top or the zipper is extra long. The best ones are Levis, but there are a lot of other brands you can get. They should be non-stretch.”

The creative process really starts when she begins to alter her jeans, Andrews said.

“You take your jeans home and put them up to any pair of shorts you have and cut them to match that length. Then, if you want that kind of destroyed, rugged look you can start to cut the jeans. It doesn’t matter where, over the knee, over the thigh, anywhere.

“After you cut your shorts, you can dip them halfway in bleach and sit it out to dry for a few hours and it’ll be bleached when you come back. You can dye them different colors. You can get dye from Wal-Mart and make your jeans different colors.”

Andrews encouraged everyone to get involved in thrifting

“It’s a cheap, fun thing to do and you can look different and stylish while doing it.”

“I’m always trying to learn something new because it’s so cool and its just really fun to get into and its affordable so check it out!”

Andrews also promised to keep “Stay Down Blaze Up” updated on her new projects by giving you the inside scoop on the latest fashions.

Stay tuned for her updates!

Kendra Alleyne – Stay Down Blaze Up