A 'Sapeur', the French acronym for the Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes (the Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People). Members of the 'Leopards du Congo' Sapeurs group in the Matonge neighbourhood. They wear second-hand clothes by leading designers (e.g. Yamamoto, Dolce & Gabbana, and Paul Smith). La Sape fashion statement first appeared in the late 1970s as a reaction to the 'authenticity' advocated by Mobutu who banned western-style clothing.
