Swag Will Occupy Our Trends

2014-03-10     Observer
Prof. Kim Nan-do author of ‘Painful is the growing pains’ said that 2014’s first main trend is “swag.” Nowadays, swag is becoming relevant to the fashion industry and Korean society due to the liberal mindset of young consumers in their 20s. Specifically, they have open minds about accepting new cultures and trends. Additionally, by connecting with others and incorporating swag in their life so they can maintain a strong distinctive life-style. Then, let’s learn more about how swag will maintain a trend in our culture.


The definition of swag
The word “swag” is rooted within the American hip- hop culture. Oxford Dictionary defines swag as dishonest profits coming from stolen goods. Nowadays, swag is used to describe a way to show individuality and our personal style. This commonly is done in a way that shows off or brags with flashy clothes and styles. This can seem contradictive where showing off your style might cause people to view them negatively. However, people that use swag are usually proud of showing their personality, open mindedness and instinctive freedom.


The effect of SWAG fever


The increase of fake productsFake products are popular nowadays because everyone wants to imitate rich people by using luxury items. This drives consumption phenomena of individuals looking for popular products at better value. Also, it is openly criticizing luxury items, but nevertheless it is obviously different than counterfeit items because fake products are intended to be imitations. The typical examples are how Prada and Chanel are imitated by Proud and Channel.


The use of bags which do not have logos (logo-free bags)
Logo-free bags counter luxury logo bags, by not having any logos. This can stimulate curiosity in items by people wanting to know which brand it is. Typical examples include products by Jinny Kim, Gianni Chiarini and Perche.


The sharp upswing of SPA brands
SPA brands mean that the planning, production and logistics are all integrated by removing intermediate stages. Because of this integration, the quality versus price ratio of these goods increase which improves consumer satisfaction. Brands such as Uniqlo, Zara, H&M and SPAO are examples of SPA brands.


Music
Recently, the popularity of swag can also be seen within the music industry with many musicians using swag to complement their musical style and image. Also, they are able to make caricatures and play on words. Also, they are able to express their instincts and fascination. A typical example can be heard in Taeyang’s song ‘Ringa Linga’ with satirical lyrics such as “Take care of that fire because today you’re going to burn your Friday” and “Your future will differ from Tiger JK.”


In this rapidly changing society, culture and fashion trends also are changing at high speeds. If we want to make an effort to find our style and individuality, then swag can absolutely provide a way to show the world who you are!