The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s misfortunes have often eclipsed its good news, with ongoing armed conflicts and most recently an Ebola outbreak. Much of the world knows little of the country’s vibrant arts scene, and last weekend in the capital, Kinshasa, models showed off daring new looks dreamed up by local designers on the catwalk. (Photo by Olivia Acland/The Guardian)

Participants get ready ahead of a fashion show organized by Daspu, a fashion house founded and run by prostitutes, during the Women of the World (WOW) festival, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil November 18, 2018. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)

A model presents a creation from the Juozas Statkevicius Spring-Summer 2018 fashion collection in Vilnius, Lithuania, Thursday, November 9, 2017. (Photo by Mindaugas Kulbis/AP Photo)

Liu Xu presents a creation from The Blonds Fall 2018 collection during New York Fashion Week in New York, USA, on February 14, 2018. (Photo by Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

Models present creations from the Versace Autumn/Winter 2018 women collection during Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy February 23, 2018. (Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)

A model displays a collection by graduates of the British Higher School of Art & Design during the Fashion Week at Zaryadye Park near Red Square in Moscow, Russia, Friday, June 24, 2022. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo)

Chinese women wear face-kinis as they walk in to the water to swim at the beach on August 20, 2014 in the Yellow Sea in Qingdao, China. The locally designed mask is worn by many local women to protect them from jellyfish stings, algae and the sun's ultraviolet rays. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Emma Watson attends the Elle Style Awards 2014 at one Embankment on February 18, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)