Swag vs Style vs Class

• Francios OlivierAfter the serious topics covered recently almost sent me into a depression, I will be taking a look at the way you dress, and of course, the behavior in-line with that this week.

There’s a difference between being classy and having swag. This is something many people don’t realise. Most people believe that the difference between swag and class has to do with the way a man dresses, his age or his sense of style. The truth is none of them are completely dependent upon a man’s age or his sense of style.

You can instill a basic sense of style in a person of any age, you can teach a person how to coordinate their clothes and dress themselves properly. But class is something that a man naturally has. It is something he is born with. It is not something that can be learned or copied.

Swag is something that the world of rap and hip-hop came up with to sell records and perpetrate like they have something that they don’t. You can copy swag from another person.

Swag and class however are not the same thing. Jay-Z is probably one of the classier people on this planet and most definitely the classiest rapper in the game. There’s something about him that gives you a feeling that even if he wasn’t rich and famous, he would carry himself as if he was. No matter what he’s wearing, he looks like he’s worth a million dollars. He can wear the cheapest outfit in a crowd but you would never know. He carries himself in a way that separates and elevates him from those around him. He projects class.

Conversely, swag is what these mentally and physically little boys try to pull off in the attempt to portray what a grown man naturally has. They bite off the style of another.

They’re overwrought with labels and name brands because that’s what’s important to them. They dress themselves to impress the world around them instead of to make themselves feel good.

Then there is Lil’ Wayne. I might not be the biggest fan of his, but I think the dude is incredibly talented and his music is cool. I’m purely using him as an example of what swag is. That’s not to say that Wayne isn’t a stylish individual, because he is. But his style aesthetic is on a different level. No matter what he’s wearing, he still looks like the average thug from the hood, even if he spends thousands of dollars on what he’s wearing (and he probably does). That might be the look he’s going for, but that’s not what class is.

Now, Kanye West, on the other hand, is the one person that has both class and swag. The guy is a style icon. There are times that he just exudes class. Then there are other times that he looks like he turned his swag up to high speed. The dude just knows how to impress. He just knows how to look good, and what to wear and when to wear it.

I also think a lot of people are confusing swagger for swag. They’re two completely different things. I’m a grown man and no matter what I’m wearing, I carry myself accordingly. I believe I exude confidence, class, charisma and intellect at all times.

My style aesthetic enhances and accentuates what I think are my best qualities. That’s the swagger of a grown man. Swagger and class go hand in hand, one compliments and enhances the other.

All of this is not to say that a young boy that’s ‘dripping with swag’ can’t become a man that’s ‘covered in class’. When and if it happens for us, it happens at different times. But it’s also something that has to be nurtured.

I was blessed to have a classy man as a father. This pushed me towards being a gentleman with class. But before somebody can guide you down the right path, you have to choose it. Or it has to choose you.

And also gents, remember that it’s not what you’re wearing, but how you wear it. A man can dress down in shirt and some jeans and look better than someone in a suit. It’s all in how you carry yourself. Remember, it’s not the clothes that make the man, but the man that makes the clothes.

Til next time, cheers!

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