Kuba Raffia Technology, A Symbol of Authenticity for the Dress Code of Ancestral Value in Congo-Kinshasa

This research consists of rebuilding the solid foundations of Congolese culture through the dress code, with the aim of reducing the external influence of the review of clothing models that come from foreign markets. As the Kinshasa clothing market is saturated by ready-to-wear fashion from elsewhere, this constitutes an influence that threatens to erase from the memory of the Congolese public the local expertise in haute couture based on endogenous knowledge. Raffia fabric offers jewellery, a purely Congolese reference that is a symbol of power, culture and civilisation for certain Congolese tribes, in this case the ‘Kuba’ people. Its use informs dress codes that offer authenticity to a model of dress created and Congolese, with the aim of building solid foundations to enhance the value of local haute couture innovations. This contributes effectively to boosting the Congolese economy, particularly in the creation of Small Business size and top business model. Using an ethnosociological approach, this study provides clothing technicians with the means to reflect and enhance their culture, in this case Congolese culture, with the aim of halting the notorious influence of dress codes from other clothing markets.