La Sape: A Religion of Style

      I spy with my little eye, something that is pink; bright pink. I'd say it looks like the 'shocking pink' crayon in my box of crayolas. A man is wearing it. No, not just any man, a black man; an African man. As he strides closer to me, I notice that it's a suit...a very nice suit. It's trimmed, tailored, and looks to be made out of the finest Italian wool. I watch him, my eyes wandering from his head to his feet, taking in his entire ensemble. Under his suit he sports a 'tickle-me-pink' dress shirt, with a -sort of- electrifying magenta colored silk tie (possibly one of Giorgio Armani's pieces). He daunts a similar hued handkerchief in his right breast pocket and a scarlet top hat, with what looks to be, snakeskin Gucci loafers to match. 
      "Hmm, he kind of looks like a Bishop Don Juan" I think to myself. But I decide that he's not a pimp, he's way to classy for that. He's strolling with pride down a dusty side road in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo. He seems to pop out of Congo's distressed, poverty strucken scene. He greets two men, close friends I'm guessing, who are all dressed accordingly. "What's the occasion?" I mutter to myself, seemingly loud enough for him to hear. He glances in my direction and says, "There's no occasion, it's a way of life." 

Credit: Daniele Tamagni  via vogue black

      No, this is not a photo from the latest spread in GQ. These super fly individuals (the most, I know) reside in the Republic of Congo in South Africa. Not only do men of all ages rock looks similar to these in Congo, but they've made fashion into a religion called "La Sape" (The Sape: The Societe des Ambianceurs des Personnes Elegantes - The Society for People of Elegance and Ambiance).  A religion of style. Can you believe it? I can.  The men who practice Le Sape are called "sapeurs," and were brought to the media's attention by Italian photographer Daniele Tamagni. He gave them the name "The Gentlemen of Bacongo" by means of his pictorial essay.

Credit: Tamagni via fyeahafrica

       According to an article in Cool Hunting, sapeurs mix french styles from their roots with their own personal style. The article directly quotes Michel, a sapeur who stated "A Congolese sapeur is a happy man even if he does not eat, because wearing proper clothes feeds the soul and gives pleasure to the body." Willy Corvey, also a sapeur, explained to The Sabotage Times that "[Le Sape] is our way of life. It is how we express our individuality and our character. Along with our families, La Sape, is our reason for being." If that's not a commitment to fashion, I don't know what is!
        A question that crossed my mind while researching Le Sape was, Do they believe in God? If fashion is their religion, that would mean they believe in fashion...right? (Don't laugh, you were thinking it too!) Apparently most sapeurs are also Catholic and go to church regularly according to The Sabatoge Times. Another thing that immediately drew my attention to La Sape (besides that fact that they managed to make fashion a religion) was that those who practice it are men; African men! I guess I knew they had it in them, but I would think that us women would step up to the plate first. Anyways, I won't bore you with all of my thoughts and opinions on the subject matter (I could probably go on for days talking about La Sape). Hope you enjoyed. Stay fly.

Credit: Tamagni via Carlaandemillie

Credit: Tamagni via 5 Magazine

Credit: Tamagni via selectivism.com

To read more about "Le Sape," click here: The Sabotage Times
                                                                           Vogue Black