ACTUALITÉ
Gender, fashion and entrepreneurship at the heart of a talk at ISAM Mbujimayi
At the initiative of the Director General of the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts of Mbujimayi, the Fashion Design department organised a talk and debate on Monday 7 July 2025 on the theme “Gender, fashion and entrepreneurship: towards an inclusive economy through fashion design”. The event took place in the main hall of the Lycée Tuya Kumpala campus, with lecturers, students and guests taking part.
Teaching assistants Daniel Kalombo and Exode Kabola, the day's speakers, spoke respectively on
“Gender equity in craft businesses and fashion schools” and
“The role of sewing workshops in boosting local economies.”
Taking a constructivist approach, the talk aimed to encourage reflection on the role of fashion design in inclusive entrepreneurship, raise awareness of gender issues in the fashion trades and build the capacity of lecturers and students to contribute to local development.
It also provided an opportunity to share concrete experiences and spark rich debate on gender equity and empowerment, while strengthening ties between lecturers and students around a shared project to boost the local economy.
“The ISAM of tomorrow is taking shape as an innovative, open and committed institute, able to train craftspeople and designers who are aware of social issues and ready to build a more inclusive and dynamic local economy,” said the head of the Fashion Design department, Senior Lecturer Antoine Bambi.
The talk ended with a fruitful discussion of the theme.
