SWAG MAG

Coming this October

TABLE

OF

CONTENTS

COVER STORY: GENERATIONAL SWAG

page 4KANYE’S ESSENTIALS

page 9

Passin down the Swag! Times moves at a speed by which we all must adjust. An old adage states: “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” This statement has held true through many different concepts. One concept to which it will always apply is swag. This especially applies to the fashion segment of swag. Some forms of fashion and swag have a generational staple. Whether in a nuclear family or a role model relationship, they hold a traditional value; and they’re influenced from one person’s swag to that of subsequent generations. Ways may wither, and patterns may pass; fads may fade, but tradition is never trash. Older swag can be defined as swag of those who exceed age 35. The fairly young age limitation is why it is referred to as older swag and not old swag. Young swag is the swag of those younger than 35; and the concept of a young swag advertently or inadvertently influenced by an older swag is called generational swag. Swag magazine’s ambassador for the older swag is Professor Battinto Batts. We know Professor Batts as the journalist, and marketing and public rela-tions practitioner who founded batts Publishing group and hosts the weekly show titled “the Batts Report.” He also teaches around 100 students at a time at the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Commu-

nications; and those students feel the same way that the executives here at Swag magazine feel about the Professor’s sense of fashion. “At least once a day, I hear something from somebody about what I’m wearing or my choice of clothing and colors and the way I like to mix things together,” says Batts. Batts may or may not be influencing his stu-dents with his swag, thus rendering his swag genera-tional. Most young people like to try new things to see what responses they can elicit. Young people are trend-

setters. Older people are trend-adherers, adhering to trends either they or someone they admire have set. When young people become not only trendsetters but adopters of aspects of older swag, they prove that swag is generational. “Swag is generational. There are some things that sort

of come across time and generations. There are some styles that just never go out of style. Like now we see people wearing bowties. Those are things that people were wearing maybe 30 or 40 years ago. You come back now and a lot of young brothers are wearing that. I think that’s good to see.” “People are wearing flat front pants,” says Batts continuing his take on specific generational swag fashion items. There certainly is a large number of fashion items that have made a comeback. Many

“Swag is generational, but

there are some things that sort of come across time and

generations.”

gentlemen find a comfort in patterned sweaters and “Chuck Taylor” sneaks (also known as Chucks) these days. Patterned sweaters were generational since Bill Cosby influenced them in his days as Cliff Huxtable, and “Chucks” were on top when Converse first re-leased them back in the ‘80s. For about the first six or seven years of our lives, our swags aren’t unique. We mimic our elders, and do and wear what they tell us. Therefore, adopting the swag of someone substantially older is a sign of ma-turity. It shows that we have sense to realize that the swag of our previous generations is not old-fashioned. Contrarily, they are very unique. It shows maturity to be able to kill the conformity of the swag of our peers. It takes a brave and confident adult to pull off a stunt like this. We are individuals first. We must remember that a vital part of swag is finding our own “home” or comfort zone before adopting aspects of another’s. This holds true especially in consideration of genera-tional swag. Also, a key factor to the concept of genera-tional swag is that it isn’t easily reversed. This means older swag influences young swag with a greater celerity than young swag influ-ences older swag. Part of this factor is due to the seniority that an older swag has with its par-ticular older person. They’ve espoused

their swag. They’re attached. The last thing an older person wants is to tarnish a good image by appearing as a has-been by adopting the fads of young people. That’s a quick way to lose respect. Those with older swag are also just stubborn. They feel as though they made the next generation, and their swag is better for that reason. It also just may not matter to them. Their days

of dressing to impress have expired. Finally, who Professor Batts calls OGs, older men, just aren’t capable of adopt-ing a younger swag. “There are some things that I think a younger

brother can get away with wearing that an OG may not be able to get away with doing,” he says. Another influential figure that Swag Mag had the privilege to meet was the Reverend Al Sharpton. Rev. Al Sharpton never worries about the impact of his swag which is a great commodity among older gentle-men. As men we must accept what we cannot change, and change what we cannot accept. The fact that some

younger gentle-men will always cling to new fads and eschew older swag is unchangeable. There-fore, the solu-tion for older gentlemen is not to deprecate young swag but just to continue manifesting their swag with confidence. Batts appeared as the reflection

“There are some styles that just never go out of style. I think that’s

good to see.”

of modesty when this topic arose. He commented, “I have yet to see someone who tries to mimic my style; but if perhaps somebody can look at what I do, and it can make them want to raise their game up to another level, then great.” Professor Batts is a perfect example of how older gentlemen should go about influencing younger gentlemen. He continued saying “I don’t really try to dress to influence other people, but I do try to set an example for professionalism and how to present yourself, but then also how to take risks in what you do and what you wear and how to be appropriate with it.” Many of the pioneers of certain adopted aspects of older swag are right under our noses. We may see nice fashions and ideas on television, but these things have been molded and formulated over time. Whether we adopt some older swag from our fathers, uncles, professors, or celebrities, we attach these swags to things we aspire to achieve. These things include suc-cess, style, ladies, money or maybe even just comfort. Batts ended his interview with Swag Mag with this conclusion. “The key is understanding what’s appropri-ate for where you are, your style, and what works for you.”

Dress Like the Monster!Kanye’s 10 Essentials

After making his name as a producer, West released his debut album in 2004 and quickly became one of the world’s top recording artists. He’s also a widely read blogger and a regular at the men’s and women’s collections. He has designed footwear for Nike and Louis Vuitton and has twice been named to Vanity Fair’s best-dressed list.

1. Heather-Gray Balmain T-Shirt “This is the most important thing on this list. It’s the perfect tee, it goes with everything, and it’s a slightly heavier weight.”

2. Black Air Yeezys “When I was designing these, I was inspired by the combinations of the materials used on Fendi

Spy bags, as well as the colorways used on the robots in Robotech—muted tones accented with a pop of color. And of course we referenced the Nike Mag from Back to the Future II. We’re trying to bring kids into the future with this shoe.”3. Dark-Brown RRL Jeans

in Slim Boot Cut “When I travel the world, I study how people dress in real life. Most men dress utilitar-ian—it’s for a purpose. Contrary to hip-hop be-lief, baggy jeans are actu-ally a fashion statement, while fitted jeans are the more classic option.”

4. iPod Nano, iPhone, Macbook Air with Air-

card “I’ve got my Nano that I jog with, and an iPhone that I take pic-tures with. I love how light the Macbook is, and I’m always online. But I didn’t connect the inter-net to my Blackberry on purpose. I don’t want to be bothered like that.”

5. Vintage Levi’s Jean Jacket “What’s good about a jean jacket? What’s not good about a jean jacket? I have like five of ‘em. It’s cool beacuse I used it as a layering piece, or as my main jacket. I can put it under a peacoat, I can put it over a T-shirt. It adds a classic-ness and roughness to an outfit.”

6. Blacked-Out Rolex Submariner “Me and a couple of my boys had this dinner conversation of what we thought the top brands were, and then made a decision to purchase those brands. So for watches, it’s Rolex. This company called Black-Out Concept actually painted the Rolex black. It looks hard—it looks really cool. It’s a new take on a classic watch.”

7. Calvin Klein Boxer Briefs “I like boxer briefs with suits because they don’t bunch up.”

8. Lanvin Seersucker Dinner Jacket “I could wear it in Hawaii with a T-shirt, I could wear it in New York with a dress shirt. It embodies ev-erything I like to be and do in fashion, riding the line between luxury and casual. It speaks volumes.”

9. Louis Vuitton Monogramouflauge Keepall “It’s just the best duffel bag ever. To actually have it be the Louis monogram in camoflauge? That works internationally. No matter where you go, that gets respect. A five-year-old could see this bag and think it’s cool.”

10. Retro Super Future Flat-Top Sunglasses “They’re made in Italy, slightly bigger size than the normal Wayfarer. Whenever I wear stuff that’s true to where it was when it came out—thirty, forty years ago, or whatever—it’ll feel more costumey to me than modern. These, on the other hand, are classic but cur-

5. Vintage Levi’s Jean Jacket “What’s good about a jean jacket? What’s not good about a jean jacket? I have like five of ‘em. It’s cool beacuse I used it as a layering piece, or as my main jacket. I can put it under a peacoat, I can put it over a T-shirt. It adds a classic-ness and roughness to an outfit.”

6. Blacked-Out Rolex Submariner “Me and a couple of my boys had this din-ner conversation of what we thought the top brands were, and then made a decision to purchase those brands. So for watches, it’s Rolex. This company called Black-Out Concept actually painted the Rolex black. It looks hard—it looks really cool. It’s a new take on a classic watch.”

7. Calvin Klein Boxer Briefs “I like boxer briefs with suits because they don’t bunch up.”

8. Lanvin Seersucker Dinner Jacket “I could wear it in Hawaii with a T-shirt, I could

wear it in New York with a dress shirt. It embodies ev-erything I like to be and do in fashion, riding the line between luxury and casual. It speaks volumes.”

9. Louis Vuitton Monogramouflauge Keepall “It’s just the best duffel bag ever. To actually have it be the Louis monogram in camoflauge? That works internationally. No matter where you go, that gets respect. A five-year-old could see this bag and think it’s cool.”

10. Retro Super Future Flat-Top Sunglasses “They’re made in Italy, slightly bigger size than the normal Wayfarer. Whenever I wear stuff that’s true to where it was when it came out—thirty, forty years ago, or whatever—it’ll feel more costumey to me than modern. These, on the other hand, are clas-sic but current.”