Arouge Salim has always known that she wanted to be a fashion designer. However, fate initially took her down the path of textiles, because she was drawn to the construction of the fabric itself, rather than just the finished look of a garment. She’s always chased understanding how something is made from scratch, at the very beginning.
As a result of her textile journey, the world of material study and fashion unite in her garments, which can aptly be described as a visual representation of the term ‘topsy-turvy’ but in the most wondrous way possible. Her graduation collection, upon completing her MFA at Parsons, is titled 3 6 9 and works with knitwear. Her designs are extravagant, featuring unending swirls of reds, yellows, blues and greens, looking like delectable, edible sweet treats rather than just clothing.
Flowing in Unison
I usually start with the textile first rather than an idea of what the final garment is going to look like. I’m really drawn to colour and shape, so a lot of my process begins by playing with those two things and seeing where they take me. A lot of my inspiration comes from energy and the relationship we have with it. I’m interested in how energy can move through and around us, even though we can’t necessarily see it. I think the colours, gradients, swirls and movement within the garments are my way of trying to make that energy feel physical. I don’t like to completely plan the outcome. I want the material to have some control too, so the final form is often something I discover through the process of making.
A Central Motto
I think my motto would simply be to let go. I try to always stay in a state of play and trust myself and my instincts. I find that when I’m trying too hard to force an idea, it doesn’t come naturally. When I let go of that control, I’m much more open to receiving ideas and following them wherever they might take me. For me, creating is almost about putting myself in the right state to receive something rather than deciding exactly what I want to make before I begin.
The Landscape of Knitwear
What draws me to knitwear is the amount of control I have over the textile. I have control over every single row of thread, so I can change the colour whenever I want, change the structure and essentially build the fabric exactly as I imagine it. I’m also really drawn to the natural stretch of knit. It’s something I find especially interesting when creating structural textiles because the fabric can stretch and move around the body while still holding these exaggerated forms. I think the space I want to explore is how far knitwear can move away from what we traditionally expect it to be. I’m interested in using knit as a structural and sculptural material, rather than only thinking about it as something soft that sits on the body.
Hopes for the Industry
I wish the fashion industry didn’t celebrate brands so heavily based on how quickly they can sell, how much they can produce or how many stores they can be in. I would love to see more celebration of designers who are genuinely pushing the boundaries of what fashion can be and creating work that is also art. Commercial success is obviously part of the industry, but I don’t think it should be the only measurement of success. There are designers doing incredibly innovative things with materials, construction and ideas, and I think that kind of experimentation deserves more space and recognition.
Upcoming
It’s been really nice and incredibly encouraging. I never started doing this because I wanted to be recognised or celebrated. I started because I’ve always felt that my purpose is simply to create. So having people respond to the work and appreciate what I’m doing has been a really beautiful and unexpected part of it. Next, I’m going to start working towards my first-ever fashion show, which I’m really excited about. But I also want to take my time with the brand. I don’t want to feel pressured to grow quickly just because people are paying attention now. I want to give myself the space to keep playing, experimenting and creating, and allow AROUGE to grow naturally from that.
Words Neeraja Srinivasan
Date 11.11.2026
Arouge Salim