Member Of The SAPE

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Jonthegold

S.A.P.E stands for Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes. In english that is Society of Tastemakers and Elegant people. Some call it a cult of elegance. Others named it the religion of clothing or we say in french ' La sapologie '. The SAPE movement was inspired by one of the legendary congolese musicians Papa Wemba.

I have to say as a child I was already aware of the so called ' sapeurs '. I saw them in Congolese video clips, on our VHS, some friends of my parents were real life sapeurs. My mom once told me that my father knew some sapeurs but I'm sure she knew a few ones herself.

The SAPE movement , considered a Congolese subculture , is an entirely different world with different rules. Young and old ' sapeurs ' from the Congo are known for their flamboyant style and impeccable taste. Even though they might live in extreme poverty, they dress up themselves with the sharpest garments. If you look closely you can see the bills of 500 CDF on my shirt , made in Congo. CDF is the Congolese currency and 500 CDF is about €0,49 cents. What is not much however enough to buy off the police men and to save a child from another hungry day.

Me wearing that shirt is a throwback to my trip to Kinshasa ( Congo ) 5 years ago, experiencing how important money can be in a country where 60% of the population lives in extreme poverty. So I can understand they want to forget all their struggles by dressing well. I think we all do that at times. Cover up with that one dapper outfit in our wardrobe. Just to make us feel more secure and seize the day.

The swagger the sapeurs own and the spectacle around it makes their lives worth it again. Once they create that extravagant alter-ego with luxurious menswear they forget about the rest.

The community of Congolese sapeurs or the SAPE community is not only operating on Congolese grounds but in every country where the Congolese diaspora is living. From Belgium to France, Germany to the UK, Finland and many more countries.

If I ever were to be a sapeur my name still would be JON THE GOLD - or Jon L'or in french - I'm sure that would be a legit and well respected name in the SAPE community. When you think about it, fashion bloggers do share something in common with sapeurs : fashion is life and we will do anything & go search everywhere to look sharp and on point.

Have I told you that sapeurs like to put on a show ?

Enjoy!