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)

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)

Vogue Italia is hosting a series of shows in Milan exploring how the magazine seeks to engage with hot social and political issues and provoke debate through images by top photographers. The Photo Vogue festival in Milan is hosting three exhibitions. The first, Fashion and Politics in Vogue Italia, looks at the magazine’s ambition to be a catalyst for change – in subtle and playful ways. Here: David LaChapelle – October 2004. (Photo by David LaChapelle/The Guardian)

Models present creations of the label Mas Holdings during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Grandpass in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 28 October 2017. (Photo by M.A. Pushpa Kumara/EPA/EFE)

Models pose in creations from the Salinas collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Wednesday, April 25, 2018. (Photo by Andre Penner/AP Photo)