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Tehn Diamond

Trish Carmen Fashion
What is swag really? This word has quickly made its way the tongue of many and describes the way someone represents themselves in a cool confident way.

The literal definition for swag is stuff we all get from trade shows and conventions. In Australia you have swag men who walk around with their belonging these being vagabonds. Originally swag comes from the Scottish slang word swager, which was a description of the way some Scots walk in a swaying motion.

This popular noun (swag) means different things to different people. It could mean attitude which makes everyone know that you are awesome, the way you put your outfit together, the way you talk, the way you carry yourself or your general taste.

The word swag is used so much e.g. “Can I borrow some swag from you?”, “You don’t have swag, you have issues”, “You don’t have swag if you keep trying to convince people that you have swag”.

The word swag is so popular in the hip-hop culture and is used as braggadocio in rap lyrics by many hip-hop artistes — they basically use it to show off or flaunt who they are as they brag about themselves

The swag word has become so powerful even Sean Combs changed his name to Swager. You have Jayzee proclaiming he brought swag then you have Justine Beiber using this word continuously in the song “Soulja boy”.

Swag on social media has become a huge roar and this word is the god of hash tags on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. It is the default word to use to say or describe anything. Despite how you define this elusive term people are talking about it, and have strong opinions about it.

But today, I want to talk about swag in the fashion sense. When I think swag in a fashion sense I see urban gear, street wear, I see hip-hop culture, I see punk. But then again does having a corporate style mean you lack swag? When it comes to swag some people say it can’t be bought you either have it or you don’t and other would firmly disagree.

I conducted survey through the different social media platforms on who people thought had the most swag and Zimbabwe’s top hip-hop artist Tehn Diamond was deemed to have the most swag, even being called “the bling of swag”. He was gracious enough to be a guest on The Front Page on Star FM radio and share his opinion on what he thinks swag is:

“Swag is how you carry yourself, it’s how you see yourself even before the world sees you, swag is about being comfortable in your own skin.”

Many people have the opinion that swag is a replacement word for class and that our legendary rappers such as Jayzee and Kanye West came up with it just to sell their brands. What would one say about Russell Simons, Jayzee, Kanye West do they have swag or class? Tehn diamond’s view on the ever so popular statement “swag is for boys and class is for men” in his own words: “Class is a type of swag, when I think class I think a slim fit suit, crisp white shirt and tie, I think really dapper. Anything can be swag as long as you have embraced yourself.”

You can take two guys and make them wear the same exact clothes and they will just look different because of how they carry the clothes, so swag is not about hoping the clothes will carry you, it is about the attitude and the confidence you exude together with your swag ensemble.

Gone are the days where bright colours and stylish accessories were just for women, these day the modern guy is embracing fashion trends that set them apart from the average Joe. Here are a few tips to get your swag game going:

Make the top part of your outfit really stand out by wearing T-shirts with iconic statements or nostaligic prints — (top part is eye level).

Wear bottoms that match your top half, do not go for the usual dark blue denim or safe colour pants instead wear colours that are out of the box like maroon, mustard, olive green to get that swag daring look

Having fresh sneakers be it in the form of high-tops, low key sneakers, designer sneakers play such a huge part in getting that swag look — dare to wear them in red!

Make sure your hair style is trending and hip. I would suggest the classic coiffed 50s hair. Bring bling to the swag look by accessorising with stand out pieces like gold/sliver chains or beaded wrist bands but think quality over quantity.

Men’s looks should be well rounded and exhibit both qualities of swag and class when the need arises but class should always be the core of a man’s sartorial compass and stylistic choices. Showing swag adds a bit of flair and personality in the excution.

So there you have it! Keep your swag game going till next week. Ciao!

 Trish Carmen is a Zimbabwean fashion designer and hostess of The Front Page on Star FM. Her fashion brand trish carmen has been showcased at SAFW, Durban Fashion Fair, Durban Designer Show Case, HIFA, Harare Jazz Festival & KZN Fashion Council Showcase. Feedback: [email protected]