Congo Fashion Week
The fashion-conscious Congolese are currently enjoying a show in the DRC capital Kinshasa. It focuses on local fashion and also gives a hint of future trends.
Color and glam at the Congo Fashion Week
With 15 designers and about 30 models, Congo Fashion Week has come to Kinshasa for the fourth year in succession. It is one of two annual fashion events and while its rival, the Kinshasa Fashion Week, has more of an international flair, the Congo Fashion Week exclusively showcases local fashion. Designers from neighboring Congo Brazzaville are the exception to the rule.
Four hours to go
While the designers have been laboring away for the last couple of weeks, the models are the first to arrive. It’s makeup time for the girls, while the male models still have time to lounge around in the background. There aren't many big names behind the fashion week but organizers did strike a deal with the local branch of the cosmetics company Maybelline.
Simple yet sophisticated
Rosie Biamungu and her colleague Aziza Masudi are in charge of the models’ hair. There’s one look for all. It only takes 15 minutes, they say. While Rosie pins down the last strands, two models in the background prepare the next strands of synthetic hair, twisting them into one long coil.
Young and self-reliant
Glody (left) studies IT, Isa (center) interior architecture and Naomi (right) economics. They've been modeling for the past two years. It's a great way to earn money and all three of them are into fashion. But none of them would ever work with an agent, they say, warning that "Once you sign the contract, you have to do everything they say and they take about 20 to 30 percent of your earnings."
A unique look
Bertina Saya's dyed pink hair, peaking out underneath the weave, and her skin color, which comes from her albinism, are her selling points. Bertina is a marketing student and a part-time model. There's quite a lot of work for models in Kinshasa, she says.
A quiet moment backstage
Backstage can mean many things. The models were first in the hotel gym, then in a tiny outdoor area behind the swimming pool and then, finally, in a stuffy tent behind the stage. All the while people carrying clothes are flying around, designers are shouting instructions and last-minute repairs are being done. But this model has managed to find a quiet corner.
Waiting for the show to begin
It's the first evening of the fashion week and the guests are patiently waiting in their seats. The show should have started by now but no one's complaining about the delay. Fashion is quite important in DRC, for both men and women.
It's all about the 'Pagne.'
'Pagne', the colorful West African wax prints, are the basis of most designs, whether they're made by high-end designers or the seamstress next door. They're all over Kinshasa and prices can range between a handful to 30 US dollars per meter. The strange thing is, most of them are made abroad – like the popular brand Vlisco which comes from the Netherlands or brands from India and China.
What will fashion look like in 2080?
Designer Louison Mbeya's answer to that is "lots of aluminium," like the chain he is wearing. His fashion is more abstract and each year he tries something new. It's difficult as a designer in DRC, he says. Art is not subsidized by the state and people here are either very rich and buy their clothes abroad or very poor. There's not much of a middle class to buy his clothes.
Beyond Kinshasa?
The collection of Esther Indiang (left) was one of the last of the evening. The Congo Fashion Week has only brought its show to the capital, Kinshasa. The organizers, however, hope to expand and take smaller versions of the show into the provinces.