Denim is a year-round go-to, but the well-worn fabric gets even more love in the summer when the temperatures rise and everyone is a tad more laid-back. Enter patches, the season's favorite spice for giving that old pair of jeans a sartorial boost!
Fun fact: Embroidered patches weren't always fashionable. For decades, they were worn only for practical reasons like covering up holes in threadbare clothing and labeling ranks on military uniforms. As with most trends, the rise of the humble patch in fashion started on the streets—specifically on the secondhand, Salvation Army-pulled ensembles of the '70s hippies. The infamous counterculture movement focused on the au naturel, after all, preferring looks that were shabby sans the chic. Their surplus-salvaged threads were often repaired and embellished with colorful patches, setting off a craze that still hasn't died down.
Fast forward through the leather-studded '80s punks and the grungy '90s teens and you're suddenly in 2017—a universe of things may have changed, but it seems as if the humble embroidered patch is here to stay. Convinced? Let us show you where to shop the cutest picks!
1. Bench
IMAGE Bench
Bench Patch set, P229.75, Glorietta 3
2. Bershka
IMAGE Bershka
Bershka Las Vegas patch set, P495, SM Megamall
3. Bleakstatic
IMAGE INSTAGRAM/bleaktastic
Bleakstatic patches, prices available upon request, instagram.com/bleakstatic
4. Cool Girls Club PH
IMAGE INSTAGRAM/coolgirlsclub_ph
Cool Girls Club PH patches, prices available upon request, instagram.com/coolgirlsclub_ph
5. Couch
IMAGE INSTAGRAM/couuuch
Couch patches, prices available upon request, instagram.com/cooouch
6. Mango
IMAGE Mango
Mango Floral patch set, P795, Power Plant Mall
7. Polly Patch
IMAGE INSTAGRAM/pollypatch
Polly Patch patches, prices available upon request, instagram.com/pollypatch
8. Pundesal
IMAGE INSTAGRAM/pundesal
Pundesal patches, prices available upon request, instagram.com/pundesal
9. Stradivarius
IMAGE Stradivarius
Stradivarius Japanese inspired patch set, P695, Shangri-La Plaza
10. Topshop
IMAGE Topshop
Topshop Alien patches, P699, Greenbelt 3
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