Arianne — Stitching the Silence Between

Some designers create for catwalks. Arianne creates to breathe. She doesn’t make fashion — she makes armor. Each seam is a signal. Each fabric is haunted. You won’t find polished silhouettes or trend cycles here — you’ll find old textiles, coffee stains, jagged hems, Billie Eilish wrapped in Audrey II, panic attacks turned into patterns. This isn’t just clothes. This is refusal, stitched by hand. This is softness that refuses to apologize. In a world that worships speed, gloss, and spectacle, Arianne moves quiet, careful, and strange — building a slow, intimate rebellion with every thread.

THE INTERVIEW:

Let’s start here — if you had to describe your soul as a piece of clothing, what would it be? Ripped denim? An old leather jacket? A silk scarf with a coffee stain?

@dirtbag666shop: A Victorian white cotton night gown - ripped and stained at the hem.

You’ve said sewing helped you heal after a dark time. What was it about working with your hands, thread, and fabric that gave you something life couldn’t at that moment?

@dirtbag666shop: I used to experience auditory hallucinations. At the time, I had a very old, very loud machine, which drowned them out better than anything else. Even once those were gone, I found it so soothing to work with second-hand textiles, figuring out ways to repurpose them, it felt like a puzzle so to have the satisfaction of solving it gave me much needed dopamine

What’s the weirdest or most random item you’ve ever stitched into one of your pieces?

@dirtbag666shop: I once stitched a t-shirt with a print of Billie Eilish and Finneus being caught in the tentacles of Audrey II from the little shop of horrors onto a t-shirt for her - it never got worn in the end, but it was a weird moment for sure haha

Living with autism and panic attacks in a world obsessed with order and hustle — how do you carve out your own space in that madness?

@dirtbag666shop: I live in the countryside to avoid all of the rush of city life. I don’t do “normal people” things just for the sake of it - no restaurants, no supermarkets, no shopping in malls, no going out after 8 pm (that’s reading time). Some people would hate living as though I'm 80 years old, but I think it’s perfect. I am careful with how I spend my time.

If your life had a color palette right now, what would the colors be called? (Real or made up — go wild.)

@dirtbag666shop: Moody Victorian forest green, rich espresso brown, fluffy whipped cream

When you’re creating, do you ever feel like you’re in a kind of trance or altered state? What does that space feel like?

@dirtbag666shop: Absolutely, I forget anything exists when I'm in a flow state.

What’s one brutal, honest truth about being a self-employed indie creative that no one warns you about?

@dirtbag666shop: You have to do everything yourself - it’s not just the fun of creating you have to be; customer service, photographer, web developer, social media, designer, seamstress, pattern maker, illustrator, packing and shipping, I wish I could skip the rest and just sew, and somehow it magically get sold.

Safety pins, torn fabrics, canvas patches — your work feels beautifully scrappy, like it’s rebelling against polish. Is that intentional, or just what happens when you follow your gut?

@dirtbag666shop: When I work with second-hand bases you’ve got to work with the imperfections and not against them.

What’s your relationship with imperfection — in your work, your body, your life? Is it something you embrace, battle with, or both?

@dirtbag666shop: Definitely both - I struggle with feeling the need to keep outdoing myself on every single item I put out - it’s impossible and unhealthy and definitely a recipe for burnout. I had to make peace with putting out pieces I wasn’t obsessed with. I also stuggle with imperfection in my life, I have a weird structure in my head of where I feel I “should” be in my life and business - my therapist warned me to avoid “should” statements so that’s been a really helpful thing to remind myself - there is no “should” thats just my brain trying to conform which is not what I want so I have to sit with it but not let it affect my decision making.

If your clothes could talk, what kind of sh*t would they say about you?

@dirtbag666shop: Whenever I finish a piece, I hang it up and stare at it from a distance for a while to make sure it’s where I want it to be so it would probably ask if I’ve got a staring problem.

Who or what do you make your pieces for — is it for yourself, the people like you, or a version of yourself you’re still chasing?

@dirtbag666shop: It’s always for myself, as selfish as that sounds - this is the only job I’ve ever had because autism, panic disorder, and jobs often don’t mix well, at least for me. I always felt like I had so much to contribute, but couldn’t because of the extra hurdles, so when I was able to accommodate better for myself and able to do this job, everything I make is proof that I can have mental health problems and autism and simultaneously contribute.

Do you believe that creative people are naturally a little broken, or do we just learn how to turn the cracks into art?

@dirtbag666shop: It does seem to have an overlap, when you’ve had to problem solve in your personal life, I think it creates a wiring in your brain that translates over to creative problem solving too.

What’s a small, strange, personal ritual you have when you’re working? (Like blasting weird playlists, talking to your scissors, sewing in your pajamas at 2AM…)

@dirtbag666shop: I always sew in pyjamas - perks of working from home, if I can get away with it, I will do so. Now my partner works with me, we have created our language which is basically just me quoting Drew Gooden videos and Jason quoting Fast and Furious.

The fashion world loves perfection, gloss, status. You’re working with secondhand fabrics and dirtbag patches. What do you think that says about the kind of world you want to live in?

@dirtbag666shop: I have no interest in the gloss. It’s never been for me. I think the fashion world is big enough for all styles.

When you were 25, in a psychiatric hospital, did you have any idea you’d end up here, running your own creative business and building a community?

@dirtbag666shop: I don't think anyone would have seen that one coming, honestly.

What’s something you’ve unlearned in the process of becoming this version of yourself?

@dirtbag666shop: I am not worthless, I am not alone in my struggles, and I am not an embarrassment.

If you could collaborate with any dead or living artist, fashion designer, or outsider figure — who’s on your fantasy list?

@dirtbag666shop: Meadham Kirchhoff, Simone Rocha, Chopova Lowena, Dilara Findikoglu.

What’s a misconception people have about indie fashion designers or creatives like you?

@dirtbag666shop: That we have a whole team of people working for us.

What’s something you’d tell your 15-year-old self if you could drop into their world for five minutes?

@dirtbag666shop: Deep breath.

Last one — What’s the thing you want people to feel when they wear something you made?

@dirtbag666shop: Powerful, protected, comforted.