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Maison de couture • Est. 1998 • Kinshasa, DRC
JANINE
pagne futurism ✺ KINSHASA
Maison JANINE is Congo's most celebrated fashion house — where ancestral pagne meets brutalist avant-garde. Couture, bridal, art gallery, academy for women. Worn in Kinshasa, Paris, Brussels and Lagos.
HAUTE COUTURE ✦ PAGNE AVANT-GARDE ✦ BRIDAL KINSHASA ✦ SAPE CULTURE ✦ ATELIER • GALLERY • ACADEMY ✦HAUTE COUTURE ✦ PAGNE AVANT-GARDE ✦ BRIDAL KINSHASA ✦ SAPE CULTURE ✦ ATELIER • GALLERY • ACADEMY ✦
★ MAISON JANINE ★ KINSHASA ★ SINCE 1998 ★
01 — About Maison
From a small Kinshasa atelier to Congo's fashion legend
Founded by Janine Mbuyi in Matonge, Kinshasa in 1998 with one sewing machine, Maison JANINE today unites a couture atelier, textile lab, art gallery and sewing academy. We don't follow trends — we cut memory into form.
Every piece starts with hand-selected Vlisco, wax and bazin, then is deconstructed: oversized boubous, sculptural basques, sape-inspired tailoring, bridal dreams with raffia and mud-cloth embroidery. 100% made in DR Congo.
100% Made in Kinshasa, fair pay, zero fast-fashion
38 Artisans, tailors & embroiderers full-time
12 International shows: Paris, Dakar, Lagos, Joburg
★ 4.9 640+ brides & clients reviews
“Pagne is not fabric. It is archive, protest and celebration. I sew so Congolese women are never invisible.” — Janine Mbuyi, founder
02 — What we do
Couture, bridal & art
Three universes, one signature: bold shoulders, cinched waist, flowing pagne. Custom-made in 10-21 days.
Signature
Pagne Futurism Couture
Runway & everyday couture: sculptural dresses, two-pieces, sape suits, street-luxe. From $180. Unique wax storytelling prints.
Bridal • Most loved
Kinshasa Bridal Dreams
Custom wedding gowns, traditional nuptial pagne, bridesmaids squad looks, fitting + trial + day-of assistance. From $650.
Atelier & Academy
Sur-mesure & Training
Men sape tailoring, uniform capsules for companies, 6-month sewing academy for vulnerable women. 180 graduates.
0Dresses sewn
0Brides dressed
0Years of craft
0Awards & prizes
03 — Atelier & Gallery
Inside Gombe flagship
12, Avenue de la Nation, Gombe — Kinshasa. 400m² of machines, looms, dye baths and gallery walls. Open Mon-Sat 9h-19h.
04 — Journal / News
Fresh from the atelier
Shows, new drops, backstage, academy stories and sape culture essays. Click to read full story.
“When a woman from Kinshasa enters a room in Janine, the room rearranges itself around her.”— Vogue Afrique review, 2025 • Worn by 680+ brides
05 — Heritage
Our timeline
From Matonge market stall to national icon.
1998 — The first machine
Janine starts alterations in Matonge. Word spreads: perfect basque cut.
Janine starts alterations in Matonge. Word spreads: perfect basque cut.
2007 — Gombe flagship
Opens atelier-boutique with 8 tailors. First bridal salon in Kinshasa.
Opens atelier-boutique with 8 tailors. First bridal salon in Kinshasa.
2015 — Pagne Futurism
Manifesto collection mixes wax with recycled plastic, raffia. Dakar Biennale invite.
Manifesto collection mixes wax with recycled plastic, raffia. Dakar Biennale invite.
2021 — Academy Janine
Free school for single mothers. 180 graduates, 70% employed.
Free school for single mothers. 180 graduates, 70% employed.
2025-2026 — Global stage
Paris pop-up, Lagos Fashion Week headliner, janine.cd relaunched.
Paris pop-up, Lagos Fashion Week headliner, janine.cd relaunched.
06 — Contact
Book a fitting
Custom orders take 10-21 days. Message us for prices, bridal trials or wholesale.
Atelier Gombe — Kinshasa
12, Avenue de la Nation, Gombe
Kinshasa, DR Congo
Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00
Phone / WhatsApp: +243 900 000 000