Zoot Suiters and Sapeurs

World War II profoundly influenced dress culture during the 1940s. Although the politicization of dress did not necessarily begin during this period, conditions in the first half of the twentieth century, particularly during World War II, ignited segments of the populations of the United States and Congo-Brazzaville. ¹ Despite their various differences, zoot suiters and early sapeurs responded to forms of state violence and repression by donning flashy outfits through which they could exert their presence in the oppressive states where they lived. In the United States, this phenomenon primarily included young Mexican Americans and African Americans in urban centers across the country. The sapeur movement grew significantly in the post-war period as African soldiers that fought in Europe during the war returned to Congo-Brazzaville with new ideas of politics, colonialism, communism, and democracy.