“O god of the S.A.P.E. […], Forgive all those who do not know how to dress […], all those who cannot distinguish colors […].” An excerpt from a prayer by the SAPE (translated from the French as The Society of Ambiance-Makers and Elegant People, the acronym also plays on the meaning of the French slang word sape, meaning clothes), these words belong to a movement that emerged in 1960s in Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo) that has since spread to other centers such as Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Paris.

How does one reinvent one’s identity, embellish life and defy norms? A multifarious and complex community, the S.A.P.E.’s disciples are loyal devotees of the art of dressing. The S.A.P.E. unites its practitioners through divinities, rituals, beliefs and a science, “sapology,” whose finality it is to elevate clothing to the level of language and artwork. The art of S.A.P.E. is above all linked to the eloquence and fervor of the sapeur, a faithful follower at the service of the gods whose mission it is to excel in a performance where each article of clothing “speaks” and becomes the mark of a magnified identity.