The Sapeurs, Web Design Inspiration

A great way to NOURISH CREATIVITY AS A WEB DESIGNER is to observe and learn from other cultures. There are a delightful and endless variety of visual influences to discover! I stumbled across an article about the Sapeurs, a colorful and stylish sub-culture born in the shanty towns of Congo Brazzaville, Africa. The men of this area have long held an affection for the Parisian fashion influences of their former French colonialists. Historically, Sapeur culture was a way to resist their devaluation as a people under the oppression and poverty of colonialism. They sought to prove their worth and equality by dressing in a way similar to their European oppressors. As time passed, the Parisian designer labels came to be viewed a symbol of superiority and refinement.

When Congolese immigrants work in Europe, their Sapeur relatives will ask them to send home designer clothes instead of money. Most Sapeurs receive clothes this way. The clothes are worn on holidays, Sundays, and in Sapeur style contests where towns compete against one another. The Sapeurs have taken French style, and reinvented it in their own image.

On Sunday afternoons the local shanty towns become a a virtual fashion show runway, with Sapeur men strutting in hgh style. Unlike western fashion trends like hip-hop that are largely adopted by the young only, Sapeurs is truly multi-generational, with older Masters loaning or passing down their bespoke finery to the younger men. The Sapeurs have regional differences in style. Traditionally there has been a strict rule to never dress in more than three colors. Each Sapeur develops unique modeling poses and "runway" struts.

The most elegant Sapeurs are the Grand Sapeurs of Paris, Congolese men who immigrated to France, bringing their sub-culture with them. The Sapeur look has in turn influenced European fashion designers such as Sir Paul Smith of England, who wrote the preface to a BOOK ABOUT THE SAPEUR SUB-CULTURE.

The Sapeurs are an intriguing example of the love for design and style that we all share as a human family. As a WEB DESIGNER, I find their creative use of color and style inspiring!