"SAPEURS the Gentlemen of Bacongo" (2,300 yen) is a photobook featuring the world's most elegant group of gentlemen, the "Sapeurs," featured on NHK's documentary program "Chikyu Ichiban" last year. The Japanese edition was published in June of this year, and has since garnered such a buzz that it has been reprinted three times in just one month.

The "Sapeurs" are a group of gentlemen based in the Bacongo region on the outskirts of Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, who believe in "devoting everything to elegance." While they may not lead wealthy lives, they are proud and passionate about their elegance, spending the money they earn on high-end designer clothing. Their dedication to fashion, rather than weapons of war, has garnered worldwide attention as the embodiment of nonviolence and peace.

This photobook, which captures these gentlemen, was published in the UK in 2009 and became a hot topic among fashionistas. This is the Japanese version. The book is comprised of snapshots of key figures in the Sapeur movement taken by Italian photographer Daniele Tamagni, as well as interviews and a foreword by designer Paul Smith, who was deeply moved by their fashion sense.

Although there has been much talk recently about young people becoming disinterested in fashion, their existence has been featured on TV and in magazines, and a look at social media shows that their way of life is making a big impact not only on industry insiders but also on young people themselves.

[Book Information]
"SAPEURS the Gentlemen of Bacongo"
Author: Daniele Tamagni
Publisher: Seigensha
Paperback / 224 pages / A5 size
Publication: Mid-June 2015
Price: 2,300 yen