Tourist Magazine

They describe themselves as a design/art duo which is a simplified description of what they do. Their creative repertoire includes not only making all of the costumes for all female music collective; Gaggle, they also make up 1/10th of the theatrical band. They host a club night, called Freaks, which is usually on the second Friday of every month at The George Tavern in Whitechapel which plays host to performance, theatre and poetry acting as a platform for new acts.

Tourist: How would you describe Schwange?
Schwange: A reaction to the chaos and unnatural environment we live in today. Best friends. Laughter. The perfect marriage.



T: What is your favourite thing you've ever made?
S: Our favourite thing we have made as Schwange has to be the outfits for Gaggle as it was such a large project and we had to cater to so many different girls. It is also a project we are so closely connected with, so we really could be confident with creating the right vibe. We loved the fact that it was also very interactive as our idea was to collect pieces from each of the girls that could be incorporated into each piece eg. with Strick her own hair is stitched into the mountain of tassels down the front of her dress. They were such an achievement as we had little time to make them and crazy personal lives at the time. We both thought we were going crazy and cried for a day after they were made. We’ve also made some pretty amazing videos that are both hilarious and artistically credible.

T: Do you prefer working as a duo rather than on your own?
S: Working together is a much more interesting experience than on your own, we have the benefit of two different minds, we go crazy working on our own, fashion can be very lonely, together we make it fun. We love spending time together so it works very well for us.

T: Who would you like to see wearing your designs?
S: Anyone who is saying something with what they wear or who they are, and find beauty in strange places. Nice people. Freaks. Pensioners.

T: Would you prefer to express yourself through your clothes or through music?
S: Both. They support each other. It’s much more exciting seeing clothes on a stage rather than on a catwalk. When we make clothes we sing a lot and come up with songs. Music is something we need, but gets us in trouble too.

T: What's it like being in Gaggle and performing with so many other people?
S: Intense, supportive and sexy. When you are on stage you forget how many there are with you most of the time but then you have moments when you see the crowd looking at you and you are like yeah this must look pretty weird!

T: If you met someone who'd never heard of the internet, which site would you tell them to visit first?
S: www.schwange.blogspot.com and www.thefreakstractor.blogspot.com

T: You have one last night in London, what would you do and where would you go?
S: We would go to the George tavern for Freaks and then stay up all night by the river. Kiss lots.

T: What happens on a typical night of Freaks?
S: You can never predict this really but -poets, performers, bands, women, art, contemporary dance by the regular freaks, communication, love, lipstick, face paint, destruction, joy. There’s been a lot of nudity at freaks, it’s sexually charged as well as very sweet and innocent. We get carried away at freaks because it’s such an exciting environment. That many crazy people in one place is bound to be fun!



T: What can we expect to see from you in the future?
S: A chat show, collections, an album, music videos, more performances, more stage costumes, new gaggle outfits, children. Anything and everything.

Clare Potts