Ntsimba Marie Jeanne, housewife and sapeuse for 20 years, in Brazzaville

The British photographer Tariq Zaidi shot sapeurs, sapeuses and younger mini sapes at home in their low-income communities. Here, Ntsimba Marie Jeanne wears suit by Jean Courcel, shirt by Pierre Cardin, scarf by Chanel, glasses by Versace and shoes by JM Weston. Sapeurs: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Congo is published in September and is available to pre-order through through Kehrer Verlag and the Guardian Bookshop

Israell Mbona, five-year-old school student and sapeur for three years, in Kinshasa

Zaidi says: ‘Brazzaville and Kinshasa are on opposite banks of the Congo river, almost directly across from one another, yet they have different styles. In Brazzaville, La Sape is mainly “French style” (which means exquisite suits), but in Kinshasa anything goes, from Japanese Yamamoto coats to Scottish kilts.’ Israell Mbona wears a jacket by Big Guy, kilt from Scotland, shirt by Unique, a hat he got for Christmas, plus locally made pipe and shoes by Versace

Clementine Biniakoulou, housewife and sapeuse for 36 years, in Brazzaville

Though the subculture is traditionally passed down through the male line, many Congolese women began donning designer suits and becoming sapeuses. By challenging Congolese patriarchal society in this way, they are returning to La Sape’s origins by reversing power dynamics

(Left to right) Ntsimba Marie Jeanne, businesswoman and sapeuse for 20 years, Okili Nkoressa, 10-year-old student and sapeur for five years, and Judith Nkoressa, policewoman and sapeuse for 18 years, in Brazzaville

Tariq’s aim is to highlight the important role ‘La Sape’ plays in its practitioners’ defiance of circumstance, through the stark contrast of the elegance of their dress against the harsh backdrop of their surroundings. Both Congo nations are in one of the world’s poorest regions, and so, at first glance, La Sape are an extraordinary sight

Boukaka Guy, electrician and sapeur for 25 years and Arle Nkondani Mantsende, driver and sapeur for eight years, in Brazzaville

Most sapeurs and sapeuses have day jobs as taxi drivers, tailors and gardeners, but as soon as they clock off they transform themselves into debonair dandies. Sashaying through the streets they are treated like rock stars – turning heads, bringing joie de vivre to their communities and defying their circumstances

Yamea Bansimba Jean Claude, bricklayer and sapeur for 50 years, in Brazzaville

True sapologie is about more than expensive labels: the art lies in a sapeur’s ability to put together an elegant look that is unique to their personality. Yamea Bansimba Jean Claude wears a jacket by Point De Rue, trousers and shirt by Giorgio Armani, unbranded bow tie and French-style pipe, glasses by Cartier, walking cane by Vermeiren, Italian-style socks and shoes by JM Weston

Natan Mahata, eight-year-old student and sapeur for three years, in Kinshasa.

La Sape is a constantly evolving movement, as disenfranchised youths use fashion as a way of navigating their nations’ journeys from developing countries into more cosmopolitan futures. Natan Mahata wears jacket and hat by Zara, trousers by Place, shirt by Pierre Cardin, braces by Boris and shoes by JM Weston

Kass Makenga, clothes seller and sapeur for 20 years, in Brazzaville

Makenga wears a suit and shirt by Christian Berger, waistcoat and hat by Giorgio Armani, walking cane from the Congo and shoes by JM Weston

Nkodia Aurelie, businesswoman and sapeuse for 36 years, in Brazzaville

Dressed in flamboyant $2,000 (£1,500) outfits complete with bow ties, fedoras and umbrellas, the sapologists strut their stuff across dirt roads in 40-degree heat. The gross national income per capita in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the opposite bank of the Congo river from Brazzaville, was $900 in 2018, which puts the purchase of $1,300 crocodile-skin shoes into perspective

Maxime Pivot Mabanza, teacher of La Sape and sapeur for 36 years, in Brazzaville

Congolese people are known for taking pride in their appearance – the adage is that they would rather dress well than eat well – yet La Sape takes the art of looking good to the next level

Blandine Nkouka Hombessa, businesswoman and sapeuse for 35 years, in Brazzaville

She wears a suit and shirt by Carucci, glasses by Ellesse, unbranded bow tie and braces and socks by Fil d’Ecosse

Francis Okiemi, 14-year-old student and sapeur for three years, Steven Okiemi, nine-year-old student and sapeur for one year, in Brazzaville

Francis wears a jacket by Janbell, trousers by Timing, shirt by Rabee, hat by Canda, scarf by Coca Cola and shoes by Botini. Steven wears kilt, hat and scarf from Scotland, shirt by Miss Dolce, locally made waistcoat and shoes by Gorila

Basile Gandzion, human resources manager and sapeur for 30 years, in Brazzaville

He wears suit by Jean Courcel, shirt and tie by Christian Dior, hat by Foster, socks by Pierre Cardin and shoes by Westbull

Mbemba Eulalie, housewife and sapeuse for 20 years, in Brazzaville

She wears a jacket by Hoffmann, shirt and bow tie by Pierre Cardin, hat by Burton and shoes by John Foster

Edwige Mbourangon, saleswoman and sapeuse for seven years, in Brazzaville

She wears a suit by Aristote, shirt by L and 20 29, bow tie by Pierre Cardin, belt by Grand Junction and Oxford shoes

Blazer Matsokota, technician and sapeur for 19 years, in Brazzaville

He wears jacket by Altino, trousers by Pure Cotone, waistcoat by Zara, shirt by TM Lewin, hat from Italy, glasses by Prada, watch by Cartier, locally made pipe, socks by Falke and Westbury shoes.Sapeurs: Ladies and Gentlemen of the Congo will also be shown at Visa Pour l’Image-Perpignan, International Festival of Photojournalism, France from 29 August