#sapologie

Congolese Sapologie.

1984 : Les rois de la sape ! | Archive INA

The sapeurs, also known as the Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes (the Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People), are Congolese men who mastered the art of dressing and looking elegant, sophisticated, classic. Their colorful outfits are generally composed of a three-piece suit, fedoras, silk socks, and canes. The sapeurs style gets its origins from colonization.   "At the beginning of the 20th century, when the French arrived in Congo, the myth of the Parisian elegance was born among the youth of the Bakongo ethnic group," says photographer Hector Mediavilla. From the movement's popularization in the late 1970s/early 1980′s to nowadays, "la sape" has turned into an obsession for some members of the Societe. They are sometimes ready to spend up to four figures on crocodile shoes while having a profession that can financially sustain the haute couture lifestyle. However, the sape culture doesn't revolve only around being ostentatious. It is also about creativity, self-confidence, promoting values such as pacifism in a war-torn country, and doing and looking your best despite your circumstances.  

Christian Dior photographed by Francesco Giusti

Congolese men 🇨🇩😍❤️

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