Gloria Crespo MacLennan It has been said that naturalness carried to an extreme is the basis of the true elegance. That is something which the sapeurs seem to know well, but also the photographer, who by making use of the harsh backdrop has managed to express the proudness and dignity which give sense to the lives of these natural dandies
The photographer presents a fashion culture of Kinshasa & Brazzaville Congo: La Sape, Socíet́e des Ambianceurs et des Personnes ́Eĺegantes (Society of Ambiance-Makers & Elegant People). Its followers are known as »Sapeurs« (»Sapeuses« for women). Most have ordinary day jobs as taxi-drivers, tailors and gardeners, but as soon as they clock out they transform themselves into debonair dandies. Sashaying through the streets they are treated like rock stars – turning heads, bringing ‘joie de vivre’ to their communities and defying their circumstances.
