La Sape is an upscale fashion community in Congo, Africa. They are willing to be destitute as long as they can buy expensive clothes. This is their style of relaxing.
Their appearance is very distinctive, wearing branded and expensive clothes. But in fact they are not rich people. Sapeur are people who live in Brazzaville, the big city of Congo.
Their occupations are generally taxi drivers, farmers, and carpenters. Although Sapeur's life may seem impressive at first glance, it is certainly not without a dark side.
While most people make enough money to eat is a priority, for Sapeur, earning enough money to buy hats from French or Italian designers as well as top brand clothing comes first.
Given the extreme poverty in the slum towns of Sapeur, it causes concern because it seems as if fashion has taken over the basic human needs.
In addition, Sapeur actually praised themselves for their ability to be able to wash, and stay clean and hygienic, in a country with limited water supplies.
In fact, they also sacrifice the opportunity to move to a better house, buy a car or pay for their children's school fees, to be able to fulfill their fashion desires.
Many resort to illegal means to obtain the clothes they want, some have also ended up behind bars.
Even though the Congo is not a willing and wealthy country where many recorded history such as poverty, disease, malnutrition to civil war that caused thousands of lives to be lost.
La Sape's revival actually gave a better impact in the midst of the dispute.
According to government minister for special economic zones Alain Akoualala Atipault, La Sape has shown things better where Congo seems to have come back to life after years of civil war.