A MODERN PAN-AFRICAN DANDY MOVEMENT
On a crisp January afternoon at Paris’s Musée Picasso, the dandy collective Zamounda took part in a photoshoot that wouldn’t be out of place in any style magazine. But dressed in classic menswear garments accented with African wax fabrics, the group of immigrant and first generation Parisians represented an inclusive image of modern fashion.
While Zamounda’s members are largely of African descent, they also include those with Iranian and Romanian backgrounds. When forming over two years ago, they were inspired by the imaginary African country from “Coming to America” (though in the movie, it’s spelled Zamunda).
Eddie Murphy plays Prince Akeem, who moves to Queens, New York, to escape an arranged marriage. One of the biggest takeaways is life in Africa was better than in the United States, a reversal of the traditional First and Third World narrative.
True to its name, Zamounda doesn’t idealize a European lifestyle. Unlike Sapeurs who wear Western fashion to present an image of success often in the absence of real social advancement, Zamounda uses clothes to highlight the richness of a multicultural identity.
“My desire is to show that the double culture is possible and that the double culture is not a handicap, but a wealth. I am African. I am French. There is not a difference.”
Zamounda has garnered fame largely through photoshoots and videos shared on social media. While its member acknowledge how la Sape paved the way for fashion in the African diaspora, they also highlight the difference between them and Sapeurs.
“They do spectacles, make people happy because they wear colors and all of that,” said Traoré Paul, who is of Gabonese descent. “But when we look at Sapeurs, they are doing nothing. They are also very individualistic. The Sapeur wants to show that he’s the King of Sapeurs, but he cannot really form a group like we have done.”
Maxime Kudimba, whose family is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said when relatives saw him dressed up during a television piece on Zamounda, they assumed he was a Sapeur. They told him to “pay attention” because la Sape can lead to spending vast sums of money while caring less about family and other obligations.
Kudimba had to reassure them that while Zamounda’s members may look like Sapeurs, they have a different set of values, including detaching themselves from the designer brands.
“It’s not the label that we wear,” said Kudimba. “It’s the clothing that we wear because the label is just a little thing. You can put it on any clothing. It just shows the financial value, but it doesn’t make it elegant.”
Zamounda is known for mixing high-end garments with pieces from fast fashion retailers like H&M and Zara. They realize dressing up every day can be exhausting, a sacrifice Sapeurs make, often calling each other “victims de la mode” — victims of fashion.
“It’s true that there are moments when I am very sporty,” said Gonguéré. I really like those moments. I really like wearing jeans, a pullover, a little jacket [and] a pair of sneakers, and then I go out.”
Zamounda also incorporates African elements into their clothes, “a link between European culture and African culture.” While la Sape promotes a message of “vivre ensemble” (“living together”), Zamounda has developed this idea across ethnic and class boundaries in an increasingly diverse Europe.
“Today in Zamounda, we show that it’s possible to live together. Regardless of nationality, regardless of origin, we can live together.”
