Arianne aka Dirtbag666

Hey Arianne! We have been huge fans of your work ever since we came across you on Instagram. For those of our readers who are not familiar with you and your designs, can you introduce yourself?
Arianne (@dirtbag666shop): My name is Arianne, and everything you see is designed, sewn, screen-printed, torn apart, and safety-pinned back together by me in my home studio in the south of England. I create a wide range of clothing and accessories, from reworked garments to cut-and-sew pieces made from secondhand fabrics. Recently, I added a collection of hand-printed canvas patches, allowing customers to DIY their very own dirtbag designs.

After a difficult period, including being sectioned in a psychiatric hospital at 25, sewing became the hobby that helped me heal. What started as a way to pass the time evolved into my full-time job, allowing me to turn my passion into a profession. Living with autism and experiencing panic attacks means traditional employment isn’t feasible, but running my own business gives me the flexibility I need. I’m grateful to have built a creative, empathetic community that supports me on this journey.

Fast fashion culture has created a never-ending merry-go-round, turning out micro seasons faster and faster. It is estimated that brands are launching anywhere from six to twelve collections each year, with fashion analysts even finding that certain major fast fashion retailers may produce upwards of 52 micro seasons annually. These items generally range anywhere from about $5 to $50 USD (€4.65 – €46.50 EUR). (1) As an independent business, how do you feel that the expectations set by fast fashion have impacted how your customers view your speed of production and pricing, and business as a whole for independent designers?
Arianne (@dirtbag666shop): I have been very fortunate with my followers. For the most part, they understand the nature of handmade and slow fashion businesses. They know we don’t aspire to fast fashion standards and shouldn’t be scrutinised against them. Occasionally, I do get someone outraged that my items aren’t slave labour cheap, or that the production time isn’t next-day international delivery. However, I never take it personally. It is easy to become conditioned to the standards of fast fashion without understanding the reasons behind their low prices. If you haven’t experienced a small business model before, it can be confusing.But once I explain that I work from home, draw and sew everything myself, whilst putting so much love into every single item – from the beginning right down to the packaging – it is magical to see that person buy their first small business purchase and feel the quality, uniqueness, and pride in knowing their item is made ethically.

We can imagine that these industry standards also have a direct impact on how independent designers view their own work as well – can you talk a little bit about this?
Arianne (@dirtbag666shop): I often feel as though I should be doing more, making more, being a constant churning ideas machine. It takes a conscious effort for me to combat these thoughts – I have learnt through many burnouts to respect my limits, and I have come to learn that nothing disastrous happens if I can’t come up with new ideas for a couple of weeks. When I am in a creative block, I will go back to my own Instagram and borrow some of my past ideas until my brain returns to fully functioning.

The topic of fast fashion is complex. A significant number of fast fashion consumers come from the Global North (countries in North America and Western Europe). It is estimated that about 10-22% of the Global North is living just above the poverty line. (2) Thus, while there has certainly been a growing culture of conspicuous consumption, the consumption of fast fashion in the Global North also involves individuals trying to stay within their budgets. Yet, there is no denying that fast fashion hurts independent designers by undercutting prices, overcrowding the market, copying designs, and influencing consumer perception – just to name a few. How do you reconcile this as an independent designer?
Arianne (@dirtbag666shop): This is a very tricky topic and far too complex for me to address here entirely. However, I do have a couple of thoughts on it. Firstly, everyone is entitled to clothing, and therefore, I would never shame someone for shopping fast fashion if they do not have the budget for small business prices – that’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Secondarily, I am not one of the independent designers that have been hurt greatly. Shein has stolen my designs multiple times, but they always look horrendous. One perk of making very niche and intricate clothing is that my designs are typically not even close to anything a fast fashion brand could or would replicate. Therefore, personally, I don’t feel threatened as a designer. However, I know this can be a huge obstacle for many other designers. I have just been fortunate to have a niche that is not trendy right now. Fingers crossed, it never becomes trendy.

Let’s talk about your incredible designs! A lot of your work seems to be influenced by your past, in terms of the scenes and subcultures you yourself were part of. Can you talk a little more about this?
Arianne (@dirtbag666shop): When I was growing up, I developed agoraphobia. By the age of 15, I was taken out of school and raised full-time by Tumblr. This introduced me to an entirely new world of imagery, subculture, movies, music, and friendships. I discovered FRUiTS magazine and acquired a subscription imported from Japan. I would Google the brands mentioned in the outfits I was drawn to, and became infatuated with styles that I had never seen before. I learned about crust punk and DIY culture. I began experimenting with my own style, customising every item of clothing I owned. I sold some hand-painted clothing through my Tumblr. Since I didn’t leave my house, I wasn’t part of any subcultures, but I loved exploring them through the safety of the virtual world.

Can you walk us through the design process and what the timeline of a single garment might look like from conception to creation?
Arianne (@dirtbag666shop):
Step 1: I have to come up with an idea. These can happen at any time, but usually occur just as I’m between awake and asleep. So I scribble down a very crude drawing, and in the morning, I have to try and figure out what I was trying to draw.

Step 2: I draw, paint, or design the imagery. This can take anywhere from an hour to a week depending on the level of detail and how many images I need to draw (e.g., if I’m drawing the front, back, and two sleeves for a hoodie, that will take longer than a single side patch design.)

Step 3: I create a mock-up of what I want the full garment to look like, then I sort through my stash of second-hand fabrics, cotton, and laces to check I’ve got everything I need to sew the finished piece.

Step 4: I begin constructing, which can include dying fabric, printing patches of the artwork, sewing patches on in my selected stitch, adding lace detailing, patch-working sleeves, sewing bunny ears, or screwing in spike studs around the hood. I typically like to finish this step in one long day, as I get too excited to stop. If it’s a more ambitious project, it can take much longer – for example, the wedding dress I made took three weeks to finish.

Step 5: I photograph and measure the item, ready to make an Instagram post to show people what I’ve made.

You are very vocal about your mental health history and how sewing was first a method for healing, but has transformed into your bread and butter. What do you think it was about sewing that captured your heart and helped you heal? Besides the actual creative process, we could also imagine that the act itself of sewing could be very rhythmic and healing.
Arianne (@dirtbag666shop): When I first began consistently sewing, I was experiencing auditory hallucinations, mostly in the form of screaming. As you can imagine, it was exhausting. My ancient sewing machine was so loud it almost entirely drowned them out. Until one day, the screaming faded, and it was just the sewing machine noise left. Once that happened, I was already so excited by what I was able to make at home that I wasn’t even thinking of it as part of my healing homework; it was just something fun that made me want to get out of bed.

As someone who struggles with their mental health, I view my own mental health as a roommate that will be living with me forever. Sometimes we get along great, other times they go away for holiday and leave me in peace. And then sometimes they come crashing in at 4AM drunk or can’t get out of bed for weeks. All this to say, many of us know our minds and emotions are something we will have to work through for the rest of our lives. How do you maintain your business when your mental health is suffering, and how do you maintain your mental health when your business is thriving and the workload feels insurmountable? We heard your partner recently started working with you on the business, so we can only imagine how positive that has been!
Arianne (@dirtbag666shop): The reality is that sometimes I don’t maintain the business; sometimes I have to step away because I can’t stop having panic attacks, or I’ve gone into autistic shutdown and can’t move or communicate. During those times, I would force myself out of bed, shaking and crying, to pack orders between panic attacks because losing this job is not an option for me. Being autistic has closed all avenues to being able to work a regular job. Having my partner working with me means he can ensure that everything continues to run, emails get answered, and packages get sent out. We both have autism, and he has ADHD, so we can listen to each other’s accommodations and take turns if either of us needs some time away. It’s the best decision I have made for myself and my business.

You are also vocal about your struggles with agoraphobia and autism. Why is it so important for you to speak about these topics publicly?
Arianne (@dirtbag666shop): Agoraphobia and autism were such points of shame for me for so long; it felt as though they highlighted everything I am unable to do. I felt useless and behind for my age. I thought that unless I didn’t have autism or was fully recovered from agoraphobia and panic disorder, I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything or live a fulfilling life. Years later, I still experience those same issues (I left the house for the first time in 5 months this week), yet I am running a successful business as my full-time job. With the accommodations I set for myself – working from home, being close to my bed and sensory comforts, no big lights on ever, and most of all, having one of my special interests as my job – I have found a way to be able to work and enjoy it. It is important to me to give someone else that same confidence, to help them not underestimate themselves, and to let people know that if you are neurodivergent or mentally ill, you can lead a fulfilling life and have a fulfilling job.

Lastly, what exciting things are you currently cooking up that we can look forward to in the next months?!
Arianne (@dirtbag666shop): It’s the greatest time of the year, HALLOWEEN, so I’ve been working on some spooky and autumnal-themed items for the next few months!
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1: Business of Fashion, “The Race to Keep Up With the Fast Fashion Machine”; McKinsey & Company, “The State of Fashion 2022”; Vogue Business, “Fast Fashion’s New Normal.”

2: U.S. Census Bureau, “Income and Poverty in the United States,” 2021; Eurostat, “People at Risk of Poverty or Social Exclusion.” OECD, “Society at a Glance 2021: OECD Social Indicators.”; World Bank, “Poverty and Equity Data.”; Joseph Rowntree Foundation, “UK Poverty,” 2023.

To keep up with Arianne (@dirtbag666shop) on instagram, click here. For more articles with independent designers, click here.