https://lasapeproject.squarespace.com/home daily 1.0 2019-02-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/5c6334d3e2c483611f18acb7/5c63351508522914c708695d/1550005589011/Tigana+Zuretta004.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/5c6334d3e2c483611f18acb7/5c633512ee6eb06b1a9027a8/1550005593081/Tigana+Zuretta002.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/5c6334d3e2c483611f18acb7/5c6334eee5e5f0c605e07bbe/1550005529299/Mama+Pauline+Funeral+025.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/5c6334d3e2c483611f18acb7/5c6334d308522914c7086395/1550005496109/Jean+Muzenga013.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/5c6334d3e2c483611f18acb7/5c6334d371c10b6c11974e05/1550005496259/Chardel+Natsanga+Soaus017.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/5b490a8c575d1f359e0d7296/5b490b900e2e72654f042be0/1531513770223/Florent+Pambani3.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/5b490a8c575d1f359e0d7296/5b490b672b6a28a2e909266d/1531513728854/Chardel+Natsanga+Soaus2.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/5b490a8c575d1f359e0d7296/5b490b348a922d3bb1c91e1f/1531513678801/Robby+Gianfranco4.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/5b490a8c575d1f359e0d7296/5b490b0f88251bc248f5d275/1531513622825/Anto+Meta+Chabair+2.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bbe6980e2c483cf4006040f/1539205522718/DSC_9376.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bbe65378165f5f4f4158b7b/1539204442318/DSC_0584.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bbe69f453450ace3fc67933/1539205657069/DSC_8695.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bbe65b224a694ce4208ee00/1539204541735/DSC_9774.jpg Home https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25da7603ce647e507774b1/1545984652135/Chardel+Natsanga+Soaus016.jpg Home https://lasapeproject.squarespace.com/lebachelor daily 0.75 2019-02-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25aaaf898583ec74bbeaf5/1545972431685/Le+Bachelor042.jpg Le Bachelor HED HED - Monetizing a Passion For drinks, music and gossip, Parisian Sapeurs gather in the 18th arrondissement at Sape & Co, the clothing store of Jocelyn Armel, more commonly known as Le Bachelor. The Brazzaville native said he wanted to come to Europe since he was 11 years old. In the early 1970s, he was inspired by the “Parisians,” older figures, who had completed “le retour,” the return of Congolese, particularly Sapeurs, back to Africa. “We said in Brazzaville at the time that to die without having seen Paris is not a beautiful death,” he said. “The best is to die in Paris. That’s the top.” At age 16, Armel immigrated to continue his education and remembered spending all of his money on clothes. Because not many Congolese lived in France, they hosted parties at their homes, and he said “you could not go to a Congolese party if you were not wearing the latest suits.” He also recalled the early “concours” (“competitions”) a held at Paris’s Rex Cinema that would soon become a staple in the movement to see “who was the most elegant.” Mixed with these stories of youthful fêtes are the sacrifices he made to keep up appearances despite limited means. He said he bought only a kilo of pasta and a single sardine because that “sufficed.” “Food meant nothing... everything I had I put into clothes.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25aea44fa51ab6a284ed66/1545973480785/Le+Bachelor002.jpg Le Bachelor HED HED Although he didn’t discuss in detail the difficulties of living in France, he did say at the time that “the French man, the White man, did not wear bright clothes like the Africans,” as they stuck to black, which he associated with death. In contrast, he said he always dressed “like it is summer” and that la Sape continues to be the “anecdote” to the reality of the everyday. Unlike many Sapeurs, Armel has found a way to monetize his love of clothes. In 2005, he opened Sape & Co. selling his own brand Connivences (meaning “complicity” or “collusion” in French) that offers seasonal lines of colorful suits, shirts and accessories. While originally catering to a Congolese clientele, with increased media attention from European and international outlets, his store now serves people from all over the world looking to add more color into their wardrobes. “There are lawyers,” he said. “There are young students. There are unionists. People from all social backgrounds come here, are found here. So it’s no longer a boutique that believes la Sape is just African. Today, everybody can relate to la Sape, anyone who wants to dress differently.” When asked if he is concerned that la Sape will lose its connection to the Congos’ histories, he said no. While he explained that the movement had originally been a “search for identity” connected to the Congos’ political struggles, now, the clothes can be used by anyone to find joy in life. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25baa4c2241b8c124b0277/1545976510995/Le+Bachelor026.jpg Le Bachelor HED HED https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25aa37c2241b8c124a76f7/1545972295055/Le+Bachelor059.jpg Le Bachelor HED HED https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25b9ae1ae6cf8fb926c872/1545972068358/ Le Bachelor HED HED https://lasapeproject.squarespace.com/robbygianfranco daily 0.75 2019-02-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25c15f88251b3b0c395a36/1545978246634/Robby+Gianfranco001.jpg Robby HED HED https://lasapeproject.squarespace.com/modern-dandy daily 0.75 2019-02-14 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25cb5403ce647e50771ed7/1545980789633/Zamounda059.jpg Zamounda Hed Hed 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.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25c85a6d2a73d99c79a59f/1545980025604/Zamounda094.jpg Zamounda Hed Hed 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. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25c81eaa4a993cc66385c2/1545979949275/Zamounda069.jpg Zamounda Hed Hed https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c65c57736d0c97e3ff11260/1550173559205/ Zamounda Hed Hed https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25cd5688251b3b0c39a38f/1545981151326/ Zamounda Hed Hed https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c65c4e8eef1a113615adc09/1545982011662/ Zamounda Hed Hed https://lasapeproject.squarespace.com/10-commandments-of-la-sape daily 0.75 2019-02-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25d9036d2a73d99c7a0365/1545984280583/Anto+Meta+Chabair+001.jpg 10 Commandments of La Sape https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25d7bfb8a045349b604a77/1545983959581/Eric+Albert+Tshifuaka012.jpg 10 Commandments of La Sape https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25d710b8a045349b6046f0/1545983786514/Le+Bachelor048.jpg 10 Commandments of La Sape https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25d7f070a6ad91460b3f52/1545984006534/Jean+Muzenga013.jpg 10 Commandments of La Sape https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25d893032be4e846f60026/1545984174147/Mama+Pauline+Funeral+051.jpg 10 Commandments of La Sape https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c64666bec212d19d8e2f7ba/1550083706169/DSC_1125.jpg 10 Commandments of La Sape https://lasapeproject.squarespace.com/intergenerationalfashion daily 0.75 2019-02-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25a20ec2241b8c124a2b1d/1545970209827/Kapangala+Patoe+and+Ben+Mouckacha034.jpg Intergenerational Fashion At a barber shop in the Château Rouge neighborhood, the “Little Africa” of Paris, Sapeurs Ben Mouchacha and Kapangla Patoe shared their journeys of coming to France. Mouchacha grew up in the town of Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo. There, he helped start a social club during this period called The Rolling Stone. As a young man who dropped out of school, he did not have many clothes and said he borrowed designer items from friends who had already traveled to Europe. “That’s called ‘la mine,’” he said. “It’s a form of solidarity and a form of living together. You see it at this level because it is here that it is necessary to understand the behavior of Sapeurs. It’s for this that when we talk about Sapeurs, we say, ‘La Sape, it’s not violent.’ That’s to say la Sape is to live together.” When he came to Europe in 1983 when he was 21, “it was difficult for a Congolese to have a business. It was difficult for a Congolese to be the head of a business,” said Mouchacha, who previously owned a Congolese restaurant in Paris and currently runs a cleaning business. He said that the Congolese community strengthened due to a more connected relationship between immigrants from the two countries. “Now, there is a great solidarity and a good attitude because over time, the two Congos no longer are distinguishable,” he said. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25a2940ebbe80fd1606461/1545970338177/ Intergenerational Fashion In contrast, Patoe said it was easier for him to move to Paris in 2002 at age 19 because he already had family in France. From a young age, he dreamed of living in Europe because his father, who worked as an architect/decorator for DRC President Mobutu Sese Seko, often traveled to Brussels. He said his father had significant financial resources during this time, but encouraged Patoe to not become involved in la Sape because it cost too much money. He wanted Patoe to go to school and have a job in the formal sector to make a living. When Patoe came to France, he realized life was harder than expected; the films he had seen had given him the perception that “in Europe, everything comes free.” “I saw that the reality is that it’s necessary to work hard to be someone,” he said. When he arrived, he said he restored buildings as a plasterer. The first designer clothing he remembered buying with his own money was a Christian Lacroix jacket and pants and a pair of Weston shoes. Now, he showed off his private service card for John Galliano, one of his favorite designers. He said, “But as we [Sapeurs] have always loved clothes, every month I must buy a piece from Dolce & Gabbana, a piece from Gucci, and a piece from John Galliano to show that I am a great Sapeur.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c259dfd562fa744b7ed43a6/1545969170312/Kapangala+Patoe+and+Ben+Mouckacha040.jpg Intergenerational Fashion https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c259f7e575d1fe24b94a6d6/1545969553227/Kapangala+Patoe+and+Ben+Mouckacha037.jpg Intergenerational Fashion https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c25976bcd83663a6ed8b10c/1545967482709/Kapangala+Patoe+and+Ben+Mouckacha019.jpg Intergenerational Fashion https://lasapeproject.squarespace.com/about-the-project daily 0.75 2019-02-14 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c632144ee6eb02a434981df/1550000480369/Mama+Pauline+Funeral+025.jpg About - About the Project La Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elégantes (the Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People, or la Sape) is a social movement of well-dressed men from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. Since the 1980s, these men, known as Sapeurs, have used fashion to explore identity building in politically and economically tumultuous postcolonial societies. For her University of Oregon Clark Honors College undergraduate thesis, writer and photographer Hannah Steinkopf-Frank traveled to Paris, France, and Brussels, Belgium, to dive into the communities of Sapeurs living in their former African colonizers. This project was supported by the University of Oregon Clark Honors College and the Stamps Family Charitable Foundation. For her work, Hannah was awarded the Barbara Corrado Pope Award and a University of Oregon Undergraduate Library Research Award. Read the full thesis. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5c6320a7f9619a478d4e5cec/1550000309297/IMG_1387-80.jpg About - About the Author Hannah Steinkopf-Frank is a Chicago-based writer and photojournalist passionate about using words and photos to explore what artistic expressions can reveal about societies close to and far from home. Her work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Atlas Obscura, Bitch Media, In These Times, Columbia Journalism Review, JSTOR Daily, The Marshall Project, She Shreds, and Jewish Currents. https://lasapeproject.squarespace.com/meet-the-sapuers daily 0.75 2019-02-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bcd38c5652dead937c4ae18/1540176082417/DSC_3655.jpg Meet the Sapuers - Tigana Zuretta Restaurant worker. Kinshasa, DRC / Brussels, Belgium “We have to be together to protect our heritage…If we do not pay attention, la Sape will disappear. It is for that reason that I had the idea to do the museum.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bcd352b9140b7564528b92d/1540175167713/DSC_9376.jpg Meet the Sapuers - Kapangala Patoe Model. Kinshasa, DRC / Paris, France “But as we [Sapeurs] have always loved clothes, every month I must buy a piece from Dolce & Gabbana, a piece from Gucci, and a piece from John Galliano to show that I am a great Sapeur.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bcd379de2c483bd454c1040/1540175784652/DSC_1170.jpg Meet the Sapuers - Anto Meta Industrial painter, DJ. Kinshasa, DRC / Paris, France “I have a different style than other Congolese girls. They called me ‘like the guys’ and ‘like the boys.’ I am first like a boy.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bcd337b71c10b12827ba9f9/1540174728591/DSC_9156.2+edit.jpg Meet the Sapuers - Jean Marc Zeita Shoe business owner. Brazzaville, ROC / Paris, France “There was a particular enthusiasm to find friends. We were partying. We were having fun. It was our joy. That’s what livened us, but an interest in clothes is what made our friendship. You will see that three Sapeurs out of five Sapeurs know all of their friends through the movement.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bcd36d9104c7b8195a744ce/1540175619849/DSC_0594.jpg Meet the Sapuers - Robby Gianfranco Vintage fashion retailer. Le Raincy, France “It is a revolt movement like punk, like the Rastas. The Black man, he has suffered all of his life. He suffered injustice, poverty. And through clothing, he proved to the White man that even in poor times, he could have a wealthy exterior.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bcd3923ec212dd10f27826d/1540176226408/DSC_3046.2.jpg Meet the Sapuers - Jean Muzenga Luxury textiles. Kinshasa, DRC / Flanders, Belgium “In every community, in every organization, it demands a disciplinarian, and laws to be respected. That’s why I proclaimed myself as the disciplinarian of all Sapeurs. To be a Sapeur, that demands a lot. So it is necessary to be responsible. It is necessary to work. It is necessary to have an honorable income to buy clothes.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5b4e1dc10e2e7242c5336b93/1531846111025/Connivences-+Le+Bachelor+1.jpg Meet the Sapuers - La Bachelor Owner of Sape & Co, a Sapeur boutique in Paris, and creator of the Connivences clothing line. Brazzaville, ROC / Paris, France “La Sape is a way to please yourself. You don't dress only to hide your genitals. You dress to please yourself and please others. La Sape is not only suits. We can look elegant in jeans.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5b4e1eb988251b90f26a94bf/1531846343371/NorbatdeParis-+2.jpg Meet the Sapuers - Norbat de Paris Television personality. Brazzaville, ROC / Paris, France “It will never finish because as long as there are [fashion] designers, there will always be Sapeurs.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bcd37397817f7df50a31a9d/1540175700460/DSC_0798.jpg Meet the Sapuers - Chardel Natsanga Soaus Office worker. Brazzaville, ROC / Paris, France “I think that the Sape is destined to become a political party one day because I myself cannot leave the young people in this suffering.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bcd3865104c7b8195a753aa/1540176002262/DSC_1449.jpg Meet the Sapuers - Florent Pambani Hairdresser. Kinshasa, DRC / Brussels, Belgium “There were no jobs. There was nothing. So we were already visioning Europe because we were seeing people coming back from Europe, how they were in the Congo. And we saw that if we stayed there, it’s like a sacrificed generation… So it was really the first decision to get out of the country and see a little farther.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bcd3650e4966bca9c8ee82b/1540175459985/horizontal.jpg Meet the Sapuers - Elvis Guerite Makouezi Author. Brazzaville, ROC / London, England “The first Sapeurs were their own masters. When one is a master of oneself, one can also control anger. One can control passions. So a Sapeur’s object is to improve on this and be a man of peace and dialogue.” https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2aa344c3c16a8c261fad9f/t/5bcd359b4785d3d9aac86b19/1540175329565/DSC_9347.jpg Meet the Sapuers - Ben Mouckacha Creator of Sapologie. Brazzaville, ROC / Paris, France “There’s a [Sapeur] commandment that tells you to not be tribalist, nor nationalist, nor racist, nor discriminatory…We have this mentality of living together.” https://lasapeproject.squarespace.com/new-page daily 0.75 2019-02-12 https://lasapeproject.squarespace.com/the-movement daily 0.75 2019-02-12