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 displays a creation by Portuguese designer David Ferreira on the second day of the Lisbon Fashion Week, at the Carlos Lopes Pavillion in Lisbon, Portugal, 09 March 2019. (Photo by Miguel A. Lopes/EPA/EFE)

A model presents a hairstyle creation by stylist Flavia Attard Borg during the Malta Fashion Awards, the climax of Malta Fashion Week, in Valletta, Malta on May 31, 2019. (Photo by Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters)

A model models shoes at the Chloe Gosselin Presentation during Fall 2016 New York Fashion Week at Lori Bookstein Fine Art on February 14, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images)

Models wait backstage during Ukrainian Fashion Week in Kiev, March 17, 2016. (Photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters)

A model is reflected in a mirror as she applies make up backstage during Kazakhstan Fashion Week in Almaty, Kazakhstan, April 19, 2016. (Photo by Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

A model waits backstage before the Spring/Summer 2017 Fashion Palette show at New York Fashion Week in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September 8, 2016. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)