Sarah Gwiszcz’s Fresh Start

It seemed as though things had quieted down a bit: Sarah Gwiszcz, the well-known designer from Lübbenau, was a constant presence at local festivals and other events; her fashion shows were always well-attended and had been the highlight of every festival. Her business in Lübbenau’s old town, too, “has been running on low gear lately,” as she reflects. The reason for her reluctance was a perfectly natural one: the birth of her son! From then on, he demanded his mom’s full attention! While this can indeed be a challenge for young families who are employees or self-employed—a challenge that is ultimately mitigated by government support—it poses difficulties for female entrepreneurs. “Without maternity insurance and without savings, you can quickly find yourself in trouble—parental benefits are calculated based on your most recent tax assessment. But I knew what I was getting into—at least the child benefit came right away without any lengthy application process,” says Sarah Gwiszcz.

Now that her parental leave is over, she’s back at her store—which also serves as her fashion studio—on a regular basis. Her regular customers remained loyal to her, partly because the store stayed open. “I am infinitely grateful to Heike Killa for this; she came to the store every day from Neu Zauche. Without her, I probably would have come back from parental leave with more bumps and bruises and would have had to start all over again,” says Sarah Gwiczsz.

Since May, the order situation has been improving again and is on track to reach the level seen two years ago. The designer: “Just recently, I had the pleasure of supplying Straupitz Elementary School with 20 traditional blouses and skirts, as well as 15 vests for boys.” She is still assisted with her sewing by her longtime seamstress, Martina Lehmann from Calau, to whom she is very grateful for their long-standing collaboration.

In many government offices and retail stores that serve the public, staff members wear her designs. The designer always makes a point of ensuring that her fashion is not viewed as a “new traditional costume,” but rather as fashion inspired by traditional costumes. Her label “Wurlawy” is now an established brand; many women in the Spreewald region now have one or two pieces designed by Sarah Gwiszcz in their closets, in addition to their traditional Lower Wendish folk costumes. Whenever it comes to showing a connection to the culture of the Spreewald region, “Wurlawy” is increasingly being used to do just that!

Anja Kienz, a cyclist, recently had a dress custom-made and will wear it to her daughter Ellena’s first day of school. Speaking about her reasons, she says: “We were out for a quick stroll in Lübbenau, and that’s when I saw a beautiful dress in Sarah’s store window—I fell in love with it on the spot. Without hesitation, I had Sarah make it for me. I’m already looking forward to wearing it on the first day of school. After all, by wearing it, I’m showing our daughter—and everyone else—my close connection to tradition and home.”

Children, too—mostly from families that value tradition—enjoy having Sarah Gwiszcz dress them, and increasingly often for their first day of school. This makes the day even more special for the child and the family—especially with an eye toward the future, when they look back at those “old” first-day-of-school photos.

Sarah Gwiszcz has long since become a fixture in the Spreewald with her business and her fashion. It is well-established, widely recognized, and has become an integral part of social life in Lübbenau and throughout the Spreewald. But that wasn’t always the case: At her first fashion show, held on Brandenburg Day 2012 in Lübbenau, she received both praise and criticism. Some people felt overwhelmed and saw it as a rival to the Wenden traditional costume. But Sarah Gwiszcz wasn’t fazed, nor did she let anything deter her from her path. In her makeshift studio at her parents’ home in Ragow, she designed one creation after another, sought out opportunities to showcase her work wherever possible, and is now firmly established. At her store on Ehm-Welk-Straße in Lübbenau, you can now find just about everything she makes herself—from Wurlawy wedding dresses to everyday clothing. “Tourists, in particular, love to buy a small handbag with a mosquito or dragonfly appliqué—and usually a T-shirt with the same print as well. The mosquito and dragonfly, as symbols of the Spreewald, are carried out into the world—that’s the kind of thing that makes me happy!” says the designer.

When time allows, she immerses herself in her second passion: music. She is the lead singer of the Ragow-based band “Wurlawa and the Rockaz,” which was founded in 2020. Sarah is the “Wurlawa” after whom the project is named. Translated from Low Wendish, this means “the wild woman of the Spreewald”—and with her throaty voice, she certainly lives up to that description. “It clears my head; I can, just like the old punk girl I used to be, scream everything out of my system and maybe make room for new ideas that way,” she says about her hobby. In addition to their father, Andreas Gwiszcz, the band members include Roland Scherz, Alex Berger, and Thorsten Schauland. It goes without saying that she handles the performances under her own label. “Look (and listen), here I am, here I’ll stay—I’ll go my own way!”

Examples from Sarah’s work:

Peter Becker, August 22, 26