Black Dandyism: When dressing got political

Dressing, especially for black men, can be political. That’s according to a new exhibit at London’s Photographers’ Gallery, “Made You Look: Dandyism and Black Masculinity”.

“If you are a black man, you are judged on the basis of how you are dressed,” says the show’s curator, Ekow Eshun, who points to recent examples of African American men attacked based on appearance.

“Trayvon Martin was shot by George Zimmerman for looking ‘suspicious’ wearing a hoodie,” he adds.

In this new exhibit, Eshun focuses on the history of dandyism – from Mali’s sharp-looking party goers, to the sartorial rock stars envisioned by photographer Hassan Hajjaj.

Known as "Sapeurs," these dapper dressers are part of a Congolese subculture devoted to the cult of style. In Brazzaville and Kinshasa -- the capitals of neighboring Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- they stand out among the widespread poverty, strutting the streets like walking works of art.

These week, "les Saps" gather for the annual commemoration of the death of Stervos Niarcos, the leader of the La Sape movement, at his grave in the Gombe cemetery in Kinshasa.

This image forms part of a new picture essay by photographer Junior D. Kannah, published by Getty Images.

Every Sapeur has his own unique style. Pastel-colored or dark three-piece suit, cravat or bow tie, and cigars and pipes are de rigueur.

"The Sapeur is also about masculinity, politics, changing the stereotypes about how people view Africa," says Didier Gondola, author of "History of the Congo."

Many Sapeurs rent or borrow clothes from fellow fops or get them from friends and relatives visiting from Europe.

The acronym SAPE roughly translates from French as "The Society for the Advancement of Elegant People."

Sapeurs often dress up and meet in streets or bars for an informal contest. It's an occasion to show off the designer labels and unique combination of styles.

In the 1970s, Western suits were prohibited. Even then, "les Sapeurs" rebelled by wearing aggressively non-conformist clothes.

Sapeurs say they aren't mere fashionistas - as many regard dapper dressing as a "political statement."

French, Italian, British, and Japanese fashion brands are the most sought-after. Some Sapeurs boast of spending $5,000 on a single suit. Imitations are not tolerated.

The attention to detail by "les Saps" tends to include a focus on jewelry, embroidery and color.

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Dandyism as counter culture

Black men are simultaneously hyper visible and invisible to wider society, says Eshun.

“The dandy is a counter position to that, it is about resisting the stereotypes that are often invited upon black men,” he explains.

Eshun – a Ghanaian-British broadcaster and journalist who made history as the first black editor of a mainstream British style magazine (the now defunct Arena) – says the exhibit’s theme is close to home.

He recalls an incident with his father when someone called the police on them, though they were only sitting in a parked car.

“I had just turned 16, and with no prompting on my part, the idea of me as a threat seemed abruptly widespread. When I sat beside them on the tube [subway], women clutched their handbags a little closer.”

The exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery aims to show how, by the act of donning stylish attire, black men are defying stereotypes and committing acts of personal political rebellion. Black dandyism is “about confounding expectations of how black men should look” says Eshun.

Malick Sidibé spent his nights photographing Mali's confident revelers.

Eshun chose images from as far back as 1904. One features a pair of dapper, young black Victorians, posing gallantly in their cravats. The exhibit also features Malian photographer Malick Sidibé, who was famous for his portraits of confident Malians post colonial rule, and the work of Kristin-Lee Moolman, who portrayed androgynous youths in Soweto’s townships.

Illegal bell bottoms

Even a simple act, like say, wearing bell bottoms, has at times been mired with intense political meaning. The photographer Samuel Fosso, who took customer portraits in his studio in Bangui, Central African Republic during the day, would by night turn the camera on himself. He would put on tight shirts, bell bottoms and platform boots.

Hassan Hajjaj's "Kesh Angels" exhibition at the Taymour Grahne Gallery shows tradition mingling with modernity. It also counters stereotypes about Muslim women. "When Westerners see a women with the veil a lot of them think, 'Do they really ride a bike?'" Hajjaj says. "If these women were in Italy they would look past that."

Hajjaj hoped to showcase Marrakech as it is, replete with its vibrant fashion and confident women. Here, a woman wears a traditional "djellabah" robe and poses on her Motobecane. "If you take a person who doesn't travel and who watches TV, they might view Morocco as another Syria or Iraq," Hajjaj says. "But it's its own country with its own vibe."

And that vibe includes plenty of independent women. Marrakech motorcycle culture welcomes everyone and society does not look down on female riders. "Journalists often ask, 'What do you think of women being covered up?'" Hajjaj says. "I find that silly. It's traditional clothing. It's not like anyone is holding a staff over them."

"Journalists call me asking if this is a real gang," Hajjaj says. "That is a misguided word that could scare people." He stresses that the woman in his photographs are painters, writers, dancers and mothers -- everyday people who happen to get around on motorbikes.

Hajjaj has surrounded many of the images with inlaid wooden frames, in which he stocks cans of Pepsi, chicken stock, eyeliner, and matchboxes with Arabic script. The products give these foreign images a touch of the familiar, and also add a layer of kitsch. "I'm a '60s kid, so I'm celebrating Pop art," he says. "But it's Pop art from the Arab world."

Hajjaj, who moved to London from Morocco at the age of 13, remembers how he and other immigrant children would sew name brand logos onto their jeans and shoes. That phenomenon transcends borders and time, as with these women who wear djellabah with the Nike swoosh. "In the so-called Third World there are many people wearing this to keep up with the Westerners," Hajjaj says.

Hajjaj has been photographing Karima for 15 years. "She is one of my heroes," he says. "She does henna, is married, has two kids and works hard. She has swagger and speaks three languages."

In 1984 Hajjaj owned a London fashion boutique called RAP, short for Real Artistic People. "Sometimes the women have their own clothes and I photograph them in things they are wearing," he says. "Sometimes I add on stuff."

Finding locations for the photos came easy in Marrakech. "The medina and the new town were big inspirations," Hajjaj says. "Normally you have to fly seven hours from London to reach a place with such foreign style." He can be in Marrakech in half the time.

Hajjaj believes the immigrant experience guides his work, and helps him see contrasts between foreign and familiar, modern and traditional. "Living between two places made me a bit of a misfit and gave me a different eye," he says. "What I left in Morocco I've highlighted with the work I do in London."

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“All of the things he’s wearing in the images were banned,” explains Eshun. “So he’s almost sticking two fingers up at the establishment by playing dress up at night.”

Eshun acknowledges that dandyism itself is superficial but argues the concept, when applied in racial terms, isn’t just about style; it transcends into politics.

More poignantly, like Fosso, many of the men in the images are not dressed particularly extravagantly says Eshun. But it’s a “knowingness that you are shaping your identity on your own terms.”

‘Made You Look: Dandyism and Black Masculinity’ runs until 25 September 2016 at The Photographers’ Gallery