00:00In Kinshasa, the iconic Abakos suit is making a strong return, blend in political history, with modern Congolese fashion.
00:08Popularized in the 1970s by former President Mumbutu, the colorless jacket was introduced as a symbol of African identity and
00:17a rejection of Western-style suits.
00:19Nearly three decades after Mumbutu's fall, the garment is once again in high demand.
00:27In the world of LASAP, Okoso is regarded as an institution of LASAP, a reference of Congolese classicism.
00:36At the moment, the latest trend in Congo, in Kinshasa, is the Abakos suit.
00:41Abakos means down with the suit.
00:44It means we're not talking about jacket with buttons, but a jacket that fastens up the chest.
00:51You can have an open collar, you can have a Mao collar, you can have a Mumbutu collar, and you
00:58can also have a shirt-style collar, which is the current trend among the young ones.
01:06The family-run workshop, now led by Serge and his brother, Oge, caters to ministers, diplomats, and young professionals seeking
01:14custom-made designs featuring African fabrics and embroidery.
01:20Oge Okoso says quality keeps local craftsmanship ahead.
01:25At this level, we're facing competition.
01:29Of course, there are the Chinese, the Indians, really, and everything comes down to the price.
01:35But what saves us is our quality, allows us to stay on course and remain at the top.
01:42For customers like Perceluso, the suit is also a statement of identity.
01:50You can feel it even when you're outside the country, even when you're in Europe.
01:56As soon as you dress in traditional clothes, people can already say,
02:00Ha, that one is African, that one is Congolese.
02:04You already have the cultural identity, and that's really good.
02:08In Kinshasa, where fashion is a source of pride and self-expression,
02:14the upper coast is proven that style and cultural heritage remains closely intertwined.
Comments