Fashion

Fashion inspires our dreams... but should we re-invent it? In the northern French city of Roubaix, trend guru Li Edelkoort is raising awareness among fashion professionals with her Anti_Fashion manifesto. It denounces the practices of the textile industry and advocates recycling and upcycling: in other words, clean and eco-friendly manufacturing. Anti_Fashion Meetings also give local designers the opportunity to present their collections. The Fashion Revolution is well and truly under way!

Fashion, at its best, is also a sort of theatre. So where better to hold the 10th edition of Tunis Fashion Week than the grand amphitheatre of Carthage? North African design was for years dominated by flowing, glamorous dresses, but in recent years a more international focus on streetwear has made its mark. Tunisian woman want to feel beautiful, but also powerful, outside the male gaze. FRANCE 24 takes you to Tunisia to check out the latest fashion trends.

Every year, a fashion house produces between four and ten collections - an endless cycle. How do they keep evolving while remaining loyal to the brand identity? Where do these designers go to seek out original ideas? For 2018, Alexandre Vauthier went back to 1980s cinema. Maxime Simoëns, for Azzaro, returned to the 1970s. Guo Pei summons mythical legends, while Yuima Nakazato assembles recycled materials. Alexis Mabille masters techniques, while Iris Van Herpen drapes fabrics "unconsciously".

The 33rd edition of France's Hyères Fashion, Photography and Accessories Festival is an ode to women. This year, awards went almost exclusively to female designers, including one who is making clothes for women of all shapes and sizes. The Grand Jury prize went to a couple whose modern designs denounce certain practices in the textile industry that harm the environment. By making eco-responsible collections, tomorrow's designers can shake up the fashion world!

Parisian fashion designer Julien Fournié is obsessed with Asian cinema of the 1990s - especially "The Last Emperor" by Bernardo Bertolucci and "Farewell My Concubine" by Chen Kaige. To pay tribute to Japanese ancestral techniques, he sprinkles his collection with fabric origami flowers. For Fournié, Haute Couture is about bringing together techniques and expertise from around the world seamlessly in a design. FRANCE 24 caught up with him in his studio, a few hours before his runway show.

In Brussels, an unusual fashion platform has just emerged: the MAD. Its founder, Alexandra Lambert, fought for more than 15 years to get the project off the ground. She wants to show aesthetic objects which can also solve social problems. For her first major exhibit, she called upon one of the great creative duos of the 2000s, Own, made up of Thierry Rondenet and Hervé Yvrenogeau. FRANCE 24 takes you to check out the MAD.

How can you look rebellious without looking unkempt? Is it possible to update the male silhouette to reflect our modern times? At Dior Homme, Kris Van Assche has deconstructed the traditional suit, while Rick Owens advocates self-acceptance, kindness and politeness. The Californian brand, Enfants Riches Déprimés, presents a ragged silhouette, whereas genderless lines are key to Thom Browne’s collection. Menswear is now leading the fight against the narrow-minded.

From environmental awareness to social activism, the Paris 2018 winter ready-to-wear collections are changing the world! Chanel opts for a distinctly autumnal backdrop, while vowing to plant 100 trees for each one it cut down. Stella McCartney wants to save the world, while Shiatzy Chen presents a collection inspired by the #MeToo movement. At Yohji Yamamoto, a Cubist collection pays tribute to the late Tunisian designer Azzedine Alaïa. FRANCE 24 takes you to the Paris catwalks!

From 1968 to 2018, this year marks five decades since the May 1968 protests which would revolutionise French society. An inspirational anniversary for designers at Paris Fashion Week, who've channelled that energy into next winter’s ready-to-wear collections. Dior echoes down the decades and evokes the recent #MeToo movement, while young French designer Marine Serre is a fan of upcycling. It's all part of an eclectic mix of rebellion, history and creation. FRANCE 24 takes you to the catwalks.

Since 1953, the Woolmark Prize has been propelling international designers who use merino wool in their collections. A prestigious jury announces three winners in the categories Women's Fashion, Menswear and Innovation. For this year's edition, collections are getting inventive: just like Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent, who jointly won the prize in 1954, three talented new designers took home the awards, promising to revolutionise the fashion industry. FRANCE 24 takes you to meet them.