Fashion

The first is an English designer who fights for a cleaner world, through more responsible design. The second is an Australian lingerie designer who also works as an artist. The third is a Ukrainian designer, determined to stay true to her cultural and sartorial roots. Stella McCartney, Michaela Stark and Lilia Litkovska are three women using fashion to undermine oppression, whatever form it may take. FRANCE 24 went to meet them.

The luxury sector has never been so healthy, in both financial and creative terms. At Dior, Maria-Grazia Chiuri has called on artist Eva Jospin to design a grotto made from recycled carboard to serve as a backdrop to her fashion tribute to Catherine de Médicis. Meanwhile, up-and-coming talents Victor Weinsanto and Vincent Pressiat are embracing a collective, collaborative attitude as an antidote to the hostilities and harsh realities of the current moment. We take a closer look.

Started by former model Valérie Ka, the Africa Fashion Up contest highlights African talent and puts the continent’s social and economic priorities centre stage. This year’s winners hail from Ivory Coast, Morocco, South Africa, Kenya and Congo Brazzaville and will be mentored by Balenciaga and France's HEC Paris Business School. The Grand Prix was shared between South Africa's energetic Jacques Bam and laid-back Kenyan designer Muyishime Edi Patrick. We take a closer look.

On August 5, the fashion industry lost an exceptional 20th century talent. Issey Miyake was revered for his pleats, his singular approach to movement and for his lifelong research into textiles. Known as a retiring figure who preferred to see his creative team take centre stage, his idea of fashion was a collective, family dynamic. A community spirit echoed today in the work of South African designer Lukhanyo Mdingi and French designer Céleste Durry. We take a closer look.

Haute couture is a sartorial discipline revered in France and across the world, but at its best it's also an expression of often complex philosophical ideas and convictions. Designers are continually grappling with the tension between body and spirit, between being and merely appearing, between functionality and seduction. FRANCE 24 takes a deep dive into the latest Haute couture collections from Iris van Herpen, Yuima Nakazato, Imane Ayissi, Adeline André and Alexandre Vauthier.

No matter the state of the world, fashion’s job is to keep people dreaming. By emphasising the power of artistry, fashion not only provides welcome distraction, but props up the economy – and can also be subtly political. At Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri is working hand-in-hand with Kyiv-based artist Olesia Trofymenko. Jean-Paul Gaultier meanwhile, now managed by Spanish group Puig, has invited Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing to interpret the label’s sartorial DNA.

Fashion today is about creating new paradigms: making beautiful and desirable clothes that also have a deep conscience. Thirty-year-old Marine Serre is one of the figureheads of a new generation of socially engaged young designers. Her summer 2023 menswear collection is all about inclusion and diversity in all their forms. Meanwhile, her fellow designer Jeanne Friot is determined to introduce the world to the joys of unisex clothing.

To mark the opening of its new exhibition "On the Road to Chiefdoms of Cameroon", Paris's Musée du Quai Branly gave multidisciplinary Cameroonian artist Blick Bassy carte blanche. His first move was to invite Cameroonian musicians Kareyce Fotso, Ami Yerewolo and Poundo to put on a concert. For him, these three women represent the contemporary African new wave, with a dynamic vision of how to celebrate African culture around the world – including an important role for fashion.

No art form is better suited to interrogating the representation of the body, and the value society attributes to our bodies, than dance. The dance collective (La)Horde has headed up Marseille's National Ballet since September 2019. For more than 10 years, Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer and Arthur Harel have been coming up with new and exciting ways to conceive of the medium of dance, both classical and contemporary. They are also shaking things up on the fashion front. We take a closer look.

This year's ready-to-wear winter collections are all about love and seduction: the delicate balance between what's shown and what isn't. Vaquera has found inspiration in the iconic black latex jumpsuit worn by Maggie Cheung in the 1996 film "Irma Vep" directed by Olivier Assayas. Victor Weinsanto, meanwhile, showcases an extravagant corset-and-cape look for "Emily in Paris" star Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu. Finally, the Love Brings Love exhibition offers a moving homage to late iconic designer Alber Elbaz.