Few places connect clothes and identity as boldly as Brazzaville. The Republic of the Congo, together with its neighbour across the river, is where the subculture known as La Sape took shape.
What is La Sape?
The name stands for the Society of Ambianceurs and Elegant People, and its followers are called sapeurs. The movement grew out of Congolese communities in Brazzaville and Kinshasa and draws on the style of colonial-era dandies. One founding story credits Christian Loubaki, a Brazzaville worker in Paris whose smart appearance was said to lift his friends’ spirits.
Labels, walks and defiance
Sapeurs perform their style. The danse des griffes, or dance of the labels, shows off designer names such as Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani and J. M. Weston, while the diattance is a deliberate, head-high walk. Some wear wool in tropical heat as a sign of defiance. In 2010 Paul Smith released a collection inspired by sapeurs, and in 2015 an exhibition in their honour was held at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
Sources: Wikipedia: Sapeurs.
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