What African fashionistas and dandies look like (8 photos)

We are not talking about simple show-offs, but about la SAPE, that is, "Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes", which can be roughly translated as "Society of Party People and Elegant Persons".





This abbreviation in the Republic of Congo denotes a subculture of local fashionistas, dandies, dance lovers and courteous dandies. Most of all, les sapeurs love to shock the public with their extravagant outfits and mannered behavior.



The SAPE movement was born in the colonial era and is associated with a not very pleasant moment in the history of the Congo. The colonizers of that era often preferred not to pay their black servants, forcing them to be content with only food, shelter and hand-me-downs. The servants, in turn, tried to take advantage of the situation and began to use things to increase their status among their fellow tribesmen. They wore European clothes with such pride, as if they had ordered them from the best ateliers in Paris or Brussels.





Obviously, they had enough charisma and artistry to convince their fellow countrymen that this was the ultimate example of taste and elegance. When the colonial era ended and the Congo (both French and Belgian) had experienced many blows of fate, the thirst for style was reawakened. In the 1960s, the SAPE movement had already formed: an abbreviation, a subculture, and its own slang appeared.









It's funny that these African fashionistas are not gangsters or some kind of near-criminal dark personalities. Almost all of them are simple proletarians from Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo. Ordinary taxi drivers, mechanics, clerks and even farmers save money for months in order to buy the most luxurious suits and accessories by local standards. Having entered the SAPE society, they gather in their clubs, dance intricate retro-style dances and try to become a style icon for their own area.



The ideology of les sapeurs is quite simple: to enjoy life despite the dirt and destruction, to always be in a positive mood and to inspire everyone around. Even those unfortunates who do not understand anything about style and laugh offensively at fashionistas.