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There are very few truly nomadic tribes left on the globe, but nonetheless, Constantin de Slizewicz likes to define himself as a member of this select group. From the ends of the earth – the deserts of China and the Himalayas – he embodies a different aspect of the Swann spirit, namely that of the adventurer with big ideas, the call of the wild, and total freedom.
« Being an inspiration is not my forte. For me, Swann is first and foremost all about an exchange of ideas and ideals. By representing these artisanal fabric shirts that are made in France, while spending my time in the far reaches of Tibet, I create a snapshot of our expertise that stands in stark contrast to the poor quality of contemporary, industrialised manufacturing and its crushing ugliness. The idea that you can’t be a stylish traveller is simply wrong; the right outfit is the first thing that a traveller should focus on.
Here in Tibet, when you get dressed in a shirt by Swann, you face your day with confidence: whether you’ll be cutting wood, joining your hosts in the mountains, experiencing a Buddhist ceremony, putting up a tent at 4,000 metres above sea level, or sitting down and writing some text with a glass of wine in your hand. Life is too short and you need to push it to its limits. As such, style is an expression of the desire to transcend your immediate surroundings and not just to stand out from the crowd. Style is a kind of prayer that is almost poetic in its approach.
Today, being a gentleman is not an act of the bourgeois establishment. Instead it is a revolutionary concept. We see it in magazines: the rich dress up like the poor or the young to seem cool, but that’s not the way to raise the world to another level! Like high culture and eloquence, style is regrettably seen as a negative attribute… so it’s about holding out. The Tibetans in the country, with their shoubas (fur cloaks), their fox fur or felt hats, and the rings on all their fingers, simply couldn’t imagine living without dressing up in a way that makes them worthy of the earth where they live. »
Constantin’s choice:
« With Swann we created a shirt with pockets and epaulettes based on a design used by the Indian Army, in blue and beige. These shirts are my favourites when I head out on the caravan trail or for an adventure. They withstand attacks form brambles and branches very well, they have a wonderfully smoky, earthy scent, and always fit really well, even after a tiring day spent carrying a backpack. I especially like the two pockets for carrying notebooks, compasses, pocket knife, matches, tobacco and other gadgets that I always carry with me. »
Find out more: www.caravane-liotard.com
Don’t be fooled by his unpronounceable name and its Nordic sounds; on the contrary, Tim Neckebroek is all about Mediterranean elegance, Italian chic, and the charm of la dolce vita. Always right on trend, at the cutting edge of fashion, Tim is an iconic Milanese dandy.
« By agreeing to become an “icon” of Swann, it’s first and foremost because of Vincent and Thibault’s sincere passion for shirts, which is something that I have in common with them. The first time I met them, in Bergamo a few years ago, I was struck by their insatiable curiosity. Like two children who had discovered something wonderful for the first time, they wanted to know and understand everything down to the finest detail; how fabrics are woven, how to tell them apart by their quality, what you need to offer to customers to create exceptional shirts. They had a real and evident desire to convert those dreams into a reality, and this vision of excellence, this way of never compromising on quality, is something that you rarely see nowadays.
For me, elegance is about style and substance. There is an art to it, of course, a visible result. But there is substance behind it as well: all this passionate, creative work down to the finest invisible details that precedes what you can actually see. It almost defines what beauty is: there is the outer beauty – delightful, of course – and inner beauty, which is even more precious. Unlike many people, who see shirts as no more than simple products, I see them as one of the most important items of clothing in your wardrobe, something that you need to take time to choose and “compose” with care, like an intriguing living, little artwork. Shirts need to be treated with care even when, like me, you have access to over 10,000 new kinds of fabric each year – which means that I go through my shirts at an impressive rate! »
Tim’s choice:
« I would recommend two shirts that Thibault and Vincent of Swann have probably never even tried! A shirt with a spread collar, using a 140 golden Oxford dual weave fabric. It’s a sporty and sophisticated shirt with a traditional collar that you could even wear in a dressy setting. A shirt with a small, button-down spread collar that’s wider at the top, made from 170 Zephyr linen by David and John Anderson. If you truly want to understand why the finest shirts come from the finest fabrics, you absolutely must try it! These two models are my favourite shirts by far! »
Thierry Richard is a Parisian journalist and bon viveur. For him, sophisticated refinement transcends time and fashion; it is an immutable question of temperament. His elegance is timeless, which is to say that its qualities extend beyond our time, yet it still manages to reflect the spirit of the age.
« I discovered Swann when publishing my guide ‘Paris pour les hommes’ (‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Paris’) – (Editions du Chêne - 2011). The approach taken by Vincent and Thibault won me over immediately: bringing the tailor’s craft within anyone’s reach. It seems to me that the approach translates into a desire to see a job well done, but with a quiet, relaxed, and modest approach. At Swann, they don’t tale themselves too seriously; they save their seriousness for their creative output, making shirts and selecting fabrics.
Elegance is all about understanding the basic rules, the style mistakes to avoid, then, building on this base to find your own way in a way that accords with your own nature. As such, I admit that I like to make fun of fashion a bit. I know what suits my personality and my body and I try to stay faithful to that, without letting my guard drop when I’m tired or feeling lazy. Style means getting dressed in the morning, taking care of your appearance as if you were going to meet the love of your life, and getting dressed in the evening as if you were spending the night together.
The shirt is the undisputed basis for men’s outfits, and when it is made to measure, it becomes a kind of game: for instance, I like to have my initials embroidered inside the outer collar of my shirts. They’re invisible to everyone else, except for the woman who undresses me at night… »
Thierry’s choice:
« I’d recommend that anyone who is new to tailored clothing to start by getting two tailored shirts; one ‘basic’ shirt made from a light weave, a bright sky blue, for instance with French cuffs, a spread collar that’s not too wide, that you would wear regularly to get used to the pleasures of wearing a shirt that’s shaped to fit your own body. Alongside the basic shirt, I’d choose another, more original shirt with the little design details that you don’t get off the peg, though of course I wouldn’t add any old thing just for the sake of being original – which is when Swann’s advice truly comes into its own. »
