Out of Step Designs: UpCycled DIY Punk Clothing on etsy

I have loved punk music since the first time I heard a Descendents song, way back in the summer of 1983. When Steve and I first started dating, we spent nearly every Friday and Saturday night at local venues (Spanky's in Downtown Riverside ruled!), catching punk and ska bands play.

That love for rad music and the subculture scene has stayed with us for more than two decades (as I type, our family is getting ready to head to the House of Blues to see NOFX play tonight - woo hoo!).

I guess it's no surprise that our three kiddos were exposed to the music we loved while growing up. To this day, all three of them know every lyric of every Operation Ivy song, Lookout Records compilation, and Descendents albums in existence...simply because they were on such constant rotation in the car for years on end.

While they have each developed their own musical tastes and "fashion" styles as they have gotten older, it's pretty safe to say that all three of them seem to prefer funky vintage attire to mall clothes any day, and a peek inside of their closets will confirm this.

As dedicated believers in the DIY movement, sewing patches onto shirts, jeans, and jackets has been the norm at our house for years. When their friends started asking about how they could get things made too, I decided that I would slowly begin making extras of the upcycled attire I was creating in my spare time.

The result is Out of Step Designs (named for my favorite Minor Threat album) and while it's a super small "grand opening" over at my etsy store, it's been really fun getting things rolling and I hope to keep adding to the inventory on a regular basis.

If you dig punk bands and pro-originality clothing, swing on by and add me to your etsy circle, so that we can stay in touch on the site and support the DIY cause! I also take custom orders, so if you have ideas or requests, just message me on etsy and I'll do my best to get the wheels-a-turnin'.