Art Haus Thursdays: Staying Fly in the Congo

Every now and again we are reminded that great style, not fashion, but style is truly timeless. More so, regardless of the place or occasion , a great suit is always a great suit. Daniele Tamagni's new book, Gentleman of "Bacongo: The Dandies of Sub-Saharan Africa" is a collection of photographs exhibiting the sartorial tendencies of the Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes, SAPE, or the Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People. Based in the two Congo (The Democratic and Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo)'s respective capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, SAPE's members are referred to as Sapeurs and follow strict rules of conduct, and more importantly, of dress.


Sapeurs are adorned in tailored name-brand suits and immaculately manicured accessories. They never try to match more than three colors, and make sure that some buttons on their suits and shirts are left open to showcase the sewmanship with which their garb was made. The stylistic inspiration of la SAPE is rooted in the dress of Belgian and French colonizers who maintained authority over the two countries from the 1880s to 1960. This Francophone influence is quite clear: one of these pale-beige suits paired with an ascot and bow-tie would fit right into one of Cezanne's Provencal street-scenes. More so, however, a quintessential Sapeur ensemble would be appropriate in Harlem or West Egg circa 1928, or even in Wiliamsburg or South Hampton today.

But what the majority of readers will likely find most interesting about the wardrobe of the Society is its contrast with the general aesthetic of the environment from which the club stems. Yes, the Sapeurs live in a world of the worst kind of poverty on Earth; African poverty, Save the Children ad poverty. Both countries have been plagued with seemingly interminable wars, terrible governmental corruption and patronage, high HIV/AIDS rates and even higher rates of infant mortality. These are cities where the average family lives on less than two dollars a day, where electricity and potable water are a luxury reserved only for the hyper-elite. And yet, here is a group of young men matched to the nines, with world-class tailors, and ne plus ultra taste, who put style above all else.

Can we draw any conclusions from all this? From the violent juxtaposition of high society and absolute poverty? Can we deduce that these Sapeurs are ridiculous, tactless, or even amoral because they purchase and own suits that are worth twice the average per-capita income of their homeland- often exchanging their nutrition and well-being for one? Martin Luther King Jr. once said that a man not willing to die for something has no right to live...and if that something happens to be a three-piece suit, who are we to judge it better or worse than anything else? And if this material passion does happen to kill them, one thing is for sure, they'll die looking sharp.

Once again props to Shortsy and Jezebel.Com