JANINE
KINSHASA • PARIS • BRUSSELS
Book Fitting
Maison Janine Kinshasa couture
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.

27+Years atelier
4.2kDresses created
180Women trained
Discover Maison → View collections Journal / News
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 ★
Atelier Janine founder portrait and fabrics Congolese model in pagne couture
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

Explore work Visit us in Gombe
02 — What we do

Couture, bridal & art

Three universes, one signature: bold shoulders, cinched waist, flowing pagne. Custom-made in 10-21 days.

Price list
Pagne avant-garde collection
Signature

Pagne Futurism Couture

Runway & everyday couture: sculptural dresses, two-pieces, sape suits, street-luxe. From $180. Unique wax storytelling prints.

Congolese bridal makeup and dress
Bridal • Most loved

Kinshasa Bridal Dreams

Custom wedding gowns, traditional nuptial pagne, bridesmaids squad looks, fitting + trial + day-of assistance. From $650.

Atelier tailoring
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.

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Iptv2026

IPTV à Kinshasa : l’art de vivre connecté qui transforme votre salon en stade et en cinéma privé Sur janine.cd, on a...

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“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.

Heritage fabrics
1998 — The first machine
Janine starts alterations in Matonge. Word spreads: perfect basque cut.
2007 — Gombe flagship
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.
2021 — Academy Janine
Free school for single mothers. 180 graduates, 70% employed.
2025-2026 — Global stage
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

We reply within 24h. No spam, only couture.

Maison Janine boutique interior
✦ Book fitting