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 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 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)

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)

Bella Hadid attends “The Unknown Girl (La Fille Inconnue)” Premiere during the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on May 18, 2016 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Alberto Pizzoli/AFP Photo)

Models present makeup creations during a show by Maybelline New York at the Berlin Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2016 in Berlin, Germany, January 18, 2016. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

A model walks the runway at the Christian Siriano X Lane Bryant Collection at United Nations on May 9, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images)