The Congolese are known to have a good reputation when it comes to style, but a group of men takes fashion to a whole different level and don’t shy away from treating it as their culture. These men are called Les sapeurs.

Les sapeurs actually exist as an organized institution called “Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes“ (meaning “the Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People”) in both the Kinshasa and Brazzaville. It all began at the dawn of the 20th century, when the French arrived in Congo. Shortly after, the myth of the Parisian elegance appeared among the young people of the Bakongo, which is an ethnic group in the Congo. These Congolese men worked for the French colonizers or used to spend time in France, which lead to them adopting the European’s aristocratic affect and style. They adapted it and slowly made it into something of their own. Today, in Brazzaville, men continue to dress up in bright colors and well-tailored suits, accessorized with fancy shoes and hats.

Even though 46.5% of the people living in Congo live below or at the national poverty line, some men buy items that go for prices between 1 000 euros / $1,3000 to 3000 euros / $3900. According to the WHO, the country’s per capita gross national income is around $3,000, which is enough to buy a pair of crocodile leather shoes.

The sapeurs claim that for them, dressing up is a way of life, a way of expressing individuality and their character. The reason why the sapeurs are so culturally fascinating is, first of all, because they have very special looks and share a valuable lesson about style, but also because they shine so bright in such a harsh environment.

Didier Gondola, author of “History of the Congo”, said about the culture of the Sapeurs that “It’s the fetishization of fashion—they are worshippers of fashion, it’s their god”.
In a way, the men of the Congo combat the stereotypical image of a poor Africa and they do it through their style. And nobody can argue that this is not a good thing.

However, studying this phenomenon we can’t not think that these men rely too much on their clothes and make out of dressing up a purpose in itself. We always say that men should use their looks as a way of expressing what they like and to convey messages about themselves and not to make looking dapper a goal in itself. One needs to rely on something else than his clothes, and only use clothing to support this.

It seems that some of the sapeurs truly express who they are through their clothes, while others use their clothes as a goal in itself, so there is no room for generalizations. The same happens with people in the Western culture, so once again, we can see how we are all the same.


One sapeur said it best: “It’s not the value of the suit that counts, but the worth of the man inside”.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
P.S. What do you think of les sapeurs? Would you dress this way? Do you think they overspend or that they are on the right path?
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