The Kinshasa 'fashion lab' harnessing Central African talent
In an abandoned hangar surrounded by dusty trucks in Kinshasa_ young student models strut down a catwalk of artificial grass_ showcasing their first-ever collection to their Congolese fashion school peers.
Container ships rumble outside in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital_ but the room holding the makeshift runway in the Regional Fashion Institute in Africa (IRMA) reverberates with chic electro basslines.
IRMA welcomed a dozen students from five African countries in July_ offering them free training in the basics of sewing and fashion entrepreneurship.
"I want to get noticed by brands or sponsors_" Benjamine Biloa_ a 24-year-old Cameroonian designer who dreams of opening a "haute couture house" in Yaounde_ told AFP.
The France-backed project aims to train more than 200 young people by 2026 in a bid to scout talent and boost the Congolese fashion industry_ which is struggling in the face of low-price textiles imported from Asia.
"The idea is to turn it into a fashion laboratory" in Central Africa_ explained director Sidonie Latere during a tour of the institute_ which boasts a photography studio_ a library and an exhibition space.
Waste into work of art
The students rush to apply the finishing touches before gracing the catwalk. One model slips into a pair of tartan ankle boots designed by the Congolese sapeur designer Koko Lingwala.
The model's immaculate suit_ completed with a top hat and feathered cane_ is an expression of "Sape"_ which stands for Societe des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Elegantes -- roughly translating from French as the Society of Ambiance Makers and Elegant People.
The subculture traces it origins to the colonial era when locals encountered European fashion_ and sapeurs are known for their ultra-elegant clothing and sense of style.
Other fashionistas don a coat made of old curtains and hessian_ a bag of "tears of Job" from a bead-producing plant_ and a skirt of plastic bags -- all with a view to giving a new lease of life to used clothes imported from Europe by blending them with natural materials.
"We can't keep going with fast fashion. I discovered that the textile industry is one of the most polluting_" said Biloa_ who designed a jacket of kuba cloth_ a traditional textile made from the raffia palm.
"You can't go into fashion today and ignore the environmental consequences_" Latere agreed.
"We can create an industry that turns this waste into works of art."
According to the director_ most Congolese people already dress themselves in secondhand clothes.
Congolese creativity
Jules Kumpava_ 27_ was living on Kinshasa's streets when he decided to apply for the IRMA programme.
"My parents didn't want me to become an artist_ so I had to leave home and find a way to support myself_" said the young man_ who has tried to launch his own T-shirt brand.
"He has found his calling_" said Latere_ who points to a lack of infrastructure and resources as obstacles to professional training for creatives.
The DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world_ and Latere is hoping to create more fashion jobs throughout the country.
In IRMA's sizeable garment workshop_ around 40 industrial sewing machines whir away next to 3D printers and heat presses.
"Here_ you can make a shirt in a single day instead of three or four days of work on an ordinary machine. We'll also be able to make the equipment available to professionals_" the director said.
"One of the DRC's real strengths isn't its mines; it's our culture and our creativity."(AFP)