La Sape, in abbreviation of Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes, is described as of one of the most unusual clubs in the world. Known as sapeurs, its members come from the Democratic Republic of Congo and have elevated fashion to the status of a religion. Despite extreme economic hardships, the sapeurs will only settle for the likes of Roberto Cavalli, Yohji Yamamoto, Versace, and Issey Miyake.

La Sape has captured the curiosity of many throughout the decades. Japanese photographer SAP CHANO has offered one of the most notable incursions into the world of the sapeurs in recent years. When he began covering the sapeurs back in 2015, his first thought was that only sapeurs wearing bright primary colors were part of La Sape. But when he went to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and one of the centerpoints of La Sape, he was delighted to see sapeurs who only dress in Yohji Yamamoto and monotone clothes.

This craze around Yohji Yamamoto over there is largely due to the influence of the late Congolese singer and musician Papa Wemba. According to his son-in-law, Papa Wemba was forced by the dictatorship of Mobutu to wear the national outfit, but he ignored it and continued to perform on stage wearing Yamamoto’s clothes.

Caption written by @myclothingarchive