Tie His Hands Gently

So what is new in the life of the Clermont Twins?

We actually just graduated with our BA! And in school we were working on a line, which we hope to launch for Fashion Week. A womenswear luxury line. Just sexy shit.

What is the line called?

The name of it is Mont Boudoir— ‘Mont’ like our last name. You know, wear it in the bedroom but then wear it out as well. And a little western feel, because we have a thing for that. It’s us, really.

Do you guys think you have the same style?

Well Shannon is risqué, and Shannade's the ‘Madame’. A mature style versus the daring one. Now we are putting both styles together. We found the things we both love: sheer, leather, lots of pony fur. And it’s all black.

Are you guys living in NY? 

We just moved, but yeah. And now we actually aren’t living together, it’s the first time ever we have ever lived 'separately'. We live in the same building but different apartments.

So together but apart? Is it disorienting?

Well we still see each other all day. It is a little surreal though. But I think its a good step, because we obviously date different people, and it can be weird when you live with someone. But we will definitely forever be neighbors.

Do you think it just has to do with growing up, or your careers?

Definitely just growing up and getting older. It’s the next chapter in our life. Graduating, and moving forward.

And don’t the dogs miss each other?!

No! We have to take turns, we can’t separate them.

I must ask, do you guys have ‘Twin Telepathy’?

Yeah, it’s stronger mentally and emotionally though. Like we can be apart and know when something is wrong with the other.

Do you find that you date similar people?

More or less opposite! Shannade has to be the more dominant one in a relationship, so she dates like a shorter guy, or someone in a totally different field. Shannon goes for ‘fun guys’, as the more outgoing and social one.

How did you get in touch with Terry Richardson? Those photos are amazing.

Terry has such a big thing with twins, so his assistant reached out to us on a random e-mail telling us he would love to shoot us. And we were like, oh my god, yes. It was super random and he’s so cool and easy-going. He likes to shoot pretty unplanned.

Yeah, it’s fun, but I think a lot of people misinterpret it. 

Definitely. People already had their opinions on that. They called us “the incest twins.”

What do you think about that?

At the end of the day, people that have anything negative to say don’t really know too much and aren’t really educated about our photography. We weren’t kissing, we were going for a mirror image. It was a natural photo, and just showed how much we look alike. We love it, we don’t really care what people think.

Well, sometimes when people associate fucked up things with an image it’s because thats’s just really what’s in their head.

Exactly!

I guess I’m obligated to ask about your experience on reality TV. Do you feel like it misrepresented you guys?

Definitely. We wanted to be ourselves. Then we realized that the producers of the show didn’t have our backs. It was so misleading, and really disappointing.

Yeah, you seem to have a lot more depth and creativity than what I always assumed reality TV was like, so that’s cool.

Yes! We really want everyone to know that.