This time around on Swag Surf, the man we are showcasing is Ilja Jay Lawal. A menswear blogger, founder and CEO of an innovative clothing label and an inspiring model based in Vienna, Austria.

Ilja lives and breathes fashion. Growing up, he explored his obsession with ‘swag’ and staying fresh through keeping a close eye on his favourite artists and imitating and tweaking their styles. Fast forward to now, he is a shot caller defining the urban swag from his own angle.

Ilja Jay certainly has a lot going on with regards to contributing to the urban culture. Be sure to check his blog Way of Jay which is a well-written manual on urban men’s stylish wear and a great insight on how to ‘rock’ affordable garments well. He also has an outlet website selling his exclusive brand proving he walks his talk. His collection is both creative and innovative and can be found at shop-trueyou.com.  The clothes have a unique feel with an aesthetic taste that shows minimalist swag.

Not only is Ilja a dope male fashion blogger, he is also a model at stellamodels.com demonstrating an urban look in front of the camera lens. Ilja stresses his style of simplicity as “urban reduced down to essential” ?.

Ilja Jay exceeds in curating the essential urban swag and how to rock it the right way. He is certainly a rising influence on the male swag scene so keep a lookout for his future projects.

Ilja was kind enough to open up and tell us more about himself and what drives his creativity in an exclusive interview with SA. Here’s how it all went down:

Up Close & Personal – The Ilja Interview
1. So Ilja who is your biggest inspiration?
I draw inspiration from my surroundings. Friends, family and the fashion and lifestyle scene in general. I think it´s essential to be open-minded and open to new influences.

2. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
I wake up, pour myself a glass of water and check my emails.

3. Who is your favorite Artist?
Although I like a lot of Artists, I absolutely love “The Weeknd”.

4. What is your dream?
My dream is that I keep on being able to work on my own projects and have the possibility to engage into new dimensions with what I do. It´s my dream to have the freedom to work on whatever I want as long as I can afford the time for it.

5. If you could change one thing in this world what would it be?
Financial Security for everyone. If people wouldn’t have to worry about paying their bills and making enough money to live, all these countless dreams that people have in their minds could perhaps see the light of reality and not die in their heads before they even started.

Web: www.iljajay.com
Instagram @wayofjay
Snapchat @amazing_ilja
Facebook.com/TrueYou.fashion