Q&A with Dale Stephenstrime

Q&A with Dale Stephenstrime of Swede&CROWE

What clothes do you design?

Refined street wear. It's also very cheeky, very hooligan.

How did the label come about?

In 2010, I started importing menswear fashion from overseas but I got frustrated by having to buy from a catalogue.

That led to me achieving my lifelong dream of starting a fashion brand and Swede&CROWE was born in November 2012.

The brand started off with only head and footwear but has now expanded into clothing.

Why did you name your label Swede&CROWE?

Swede comes from me looking like a Viking and my love for Swedish fashion brands. And since music plays a huge part of my life, "Crowe" pays homage to my favourite album of all time A Crow Left of The Murder by Incubus. I just added an "e" to the end of "Crow" to personalise it.

Do you work alone?

Candice Bergman helps me produce all our computer-aided design works. I do everything else myself.

What are the trends people should look forward to?

Printed drop-crotch shorts.

Do you only design menswear?

We have a women's range but we like to think of the products as unisex; we like the idea of androgyny. Our shorts are mainly for men but I've seen women pull them off.

Where can we find your clothing?

We supply a few stores in Johannesburg - Sportscene, Prime Store and Parooz Fashions to name a few. We're also available in Cape Town at The Lot, Henry Store and Hello Again.