Kanyika's Thoughts: Ad Review: The Sartorial Culture of the "Sapeurs"

While browsing through my LinkedIn home feed this morning, I came across AdWeek's 'Ad of the Day' featuring London agency AMV BBDO's spot "Sapeurs" for Guinness. Although I would not have readily associated this brilliant ad with the Irish beer brand, the spot is part of a larger series created by BBDO titled "Made of More."

The ad was shot in Brazzaville, Congo and features scenes of men hard at work who, by day, are the common labourers who form the foundation of an African economy, and who, by night and in their free time, transform themselves into immaculately dressed members of an exclusive club known as the Sapeurs — the Society of Elegant Persons of the Congo. I was immediately drawn to this refreshing portrayal of the African man as a sartorialist, a fashion icon within his community.

The ad features some powerful copy with excerpts from William Ernest Henley's poem Invictus:

"In life, you cannot always choose what you do.
But you can always choose who you are...
I am the master of my fate.
I am the captain of my soul."

I am a huge fan of African fashion. For that reason, my only wish for this commercial and for others like it (although let's face it, there aren't too many out there like it) is that it featured some of the beautiful, traditional garments that reflect such a diverse cross-section of the continent. I acknowledge that fashion is fluid and many trends are derivative in nature. As such, it is clear to see the Western influence on African silhouettes and tastes. In fact, the Sapeurs' style reminds me of a combination of a 1920s dandy and a much better dressed version of our society's grossly exaggerated caricature of a modern pimp (excuse the reference). Conversely, African textiles and fabrics are also being adopted and reproduced en masse in the West as commercial objects that feed our insatiable appetite for an ever-changing aesthetic.

Guinness: Sapeurs (2014) AMV BBDO