Institut supérieur des Arts et Métiers

The Institut supérieur des Arts et Métiers (ISAM), commonly branded as ISAM-Kinshasa, is a higher-education institution based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It presents itself as a professional-training school focused on the clothing, fashion and aesthetics sectors, offering programmes in habillement (garment-making), modélisme (pattern-making), esthétique (aesthetics/beauty) and related creative and management disciplines. Its official website describes a curriculum built around two complementary pillars: professional techniques such as coupe et couture (cutting and sewing), modélisme, stylisme and textile design; and management techniques including fashion management, marketing and entrepreneurship. ISAM-Kinshasa follows the Licence-Master-Doctorat (LMD) system, the three-cycle degree architecture used across much of the Francophone world, which the institute says facilitates academic mobility and harmonisation with international standards. According to its website, the standard study duration is generally three years for a first-cycle professional bachelor's degree (licence professionnelle) and two years for a master's degree. Practical experience is embedded in the model: students are required to complete internships in companies or professional workshops and to carry out supervised projects applying their knowledge to real cases. The institute publishes institutional figures on its homepage, stating that it serves 2,250 students, employs 500 teacher-researchers, operates 5 research laboratories and maintains 5 international partners. Its campus life and student output are showcased through a gallery featuring design workshops, an annual fashion show presenting student collections, sewing workshops, graduation ceremonies and masterclasses led by sector professionals. ISAM-Kinshasa also participates in public higher-education events in the country, such as the Exposition des Universités de la RDC (EXPUNRDC), where it presents student projects and networks with partners. As a specialised arts-and-trades institute, ISAM-Kinshasa occupies a niche position in the Congolese higher-education landscape, connecting vocational craft training in fashion and textiles with management and entrepreneurial skills. Its brand identity is closely tied to the Kinshasa creative economy and to the professionalisation of the fashion value chain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Institut supérieur des Arts et Métiers (ISAM), branded as ISAM-Kinshasa, is a higher-education institution in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, dedicated to professional training in the arts and trades of fashion, clothing and aesthetics. Its public identity is built around the ISAM-Kinshasa name and the website isamkinshasa.cd, which presents the institute as a specialised school for habillement, modélisme and esthétique. The institute's academic model is organised around the Licence-Master-Doctorat (LMD) system, the three-cycle degree structure adopted in many Francophone countries to align qualifications with international standards and facilitate student mobility. According to the institute, studies generally last three years for a first-cycle professional bachelor's degree (licence professionnelle) and two years for a master's degree. The curriculum combines professional techniques — coupe et couture, modélisme, stylisme and textile design — with management techniques such as fashion management, marketing and entrepreneurship. Practical training is a required component: students complete internships in companies or professional workshops and carry out supervised projects on real cases. ISAM-Kinshasa reports institutional scale on its homepage, stating that it has 2,250 students, 500 teacher-researchers, 5 research laboratories and 5 international partners. Campus life and student work are presented through a gallery that includes design workshops, an annual fashion show of student collections, sewing workshops, graduation ceremonies and masterclasses with sector professionals. The institute also engages with the wider higher-education community in the country, for example through its scheduled participation in the Exposition des Universités de la RDC (EXPUNRDC) on 28 August 2025 at its main campus. As a specialised institute, ISAM-Kinshasa positions itself at the intersection of vocational craft education and the creative economy of Kinshasa, training students for the fashion, garment and beauty sectors while embedding management and entrepreneurial skills. The available public evidence does not specify its founding year, its legal ownership or its parent organisation; these details remain to be documented.

• Scheduled participation in the Exposition des Universités de la RDC (EXPUNRDC) at the main campus.

A Kinshasa-based higher-education institute specialising in fashion, garment-making, modeling and aesthetics, combining vocational craft training with management and entrepreneurship under the LMD system.

• Licence professionnelle (first-cycle professional bachelor's degree)

  Generally a three-year programme leading to a first-cycle professional degree.

• Master's degree

  Generally a two-year programme following the LMD system.

• Professional techniques modules

  Coupe et couture, modélisme, stylisme and textile design.

• Management techniques modules

  Fashion management, marketing and entrepreneurship.

• Internships and supervised projects

  Required practical placements in companies or professional workshops and tutored projects on real cases.

1. 1ISAM-KINSHASAisamkinshasa.cd
2. 2ISAM-KINSHASAisamkinshasa.cd
3. 3Institut supérieur des Arts et Métierswikidata.org