The World’s Unlikeliest Fashionistas

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In the Congo, there is a group of people who have “chosen to exalt in the pleasure of extravagant clothes they have absolutely no practical reason to wear” (Downey). They are known as Sapeurs, or members of the Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes (Society of Atmosphere-makers and Elegant People). Because they are “positioned at the epicenter of chaos, poverty and civil war,” it seems illogical for them to dress in such a refined manner (Downey). Despite typically working menial jobs, these gentlemen wear expensive European brands, but they aren’t rich. Sapeurs believe in the “uplifting, redeeming, beautifying effect of dressing well” and are willing to put their hard-earned cash behind that belief, “spending improbably large sums of Central African Francs to buy French crocodile shoes, British sports coats, handmade Italian ties” (Downey). The Sapeurs find delight in saving up their income to purchase Western formal wear; however, these men are not merely interested in the commercialism of haute couture.
The Sapeurs of Congo have taken the highly commercialized industry of fashion and made an art out of it by accompanying their appearance with a cultured lifestyle and placing various meanings behind their image. Sapeurs are inverting the commercial co-opt of culture, seizing fashion and making it their own. They’re undermining consumerism by purchasing Western apparel without the mindset of simply gaining material goods; their image is symbolic and inspires others to persevere in their impoverished country torn by civil war.
Throughout the last century, the concept of a consuming public has emerged worldwide, “defined and developed by individual acquisition and use of mass-produced goods” (Cross 1). Consumerism, “t...

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"Consumerism." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
Cross, Gary S. An All-consuming Century: Why Commercialism Won in Modern America. N.p.: Columbia UP, 2000. Print.
Downey, Tom. "The Beau Brummels of Brazzaville." The Wall Street Journal. N.p., 29 Sept. 2011. Web. 9 Nov. 2013.
Evancie, Angela. "The Surprising Sartorial Culture Of Congolese 'Sapeurs'" NPR. NPR, 7 May 2013. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
Gondola, Didier. "Dream and Drama: The Search for Elegance among Congolese Youth." African Studies Review. 1st ed. Vol. 42. N.p.: African Studies Association, 1999. 23-48. Print.
"La SAPE - La Societe Des Ambianceurs Et Personnes Elegantes." Oddity Central Collecting Oddities. N.p., 12 Nov. 2009. Web. 08 Nov. 2013.
Tutton, Mark. "Dedicated Followers of Fashion: Congo's Designer Dandies." CNN. Cable News Network, 13 Feb. 2012. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.

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