July 2023 saw the third edition of a fashion competition in Paris called Africa Fashion Up. It aims to give a platform to young, up-and-coming African talent. Five designers from across the continent presented their collections at the Musée du Quai Branly, as they celebrated local craftsmanship with a global appeal. The winner, Aristide Loua, is an Ivorian who lived in France before returning to his home country, where he spent two years reacclimatising before embracing fashion. FRANCE 24 went to meet him and the other designers.

Haute Couture is part of French soft power: creating thousands of jobs and huge profits, a world away from a dramatic news cycle. This season's Paris Fashion Week was no exception. Dior's show saw Maria Grazia Chiuri reinventing the pleats of ancient Greece, while Iris van Herpen experimented with new shapes to allow movement. In their new collections, the two fashion houses are creating an ode to lightness – perhaps an antidote to our turbulent times?

It was the fashion event of the season, if not the decade! Fashion journalists, buyers, celebrities and influencers from around the world descended on the French capital to see Paris's oldest bridge, le Pont Neuf, decked out in resplendent gold. The occasion was Pharrell Williams's first ever collection as head of menswear at Louis Vuitton. Another big celebrity draw elsewhere in Paris was the indefatigable Yohji Yamamoto, who's just a few months away from his 80th birthday. FRANCE 24 got a glimpse of the action.

This year's Tunis Fashion Week took place at the Museum of Carthage, a recent recipient of some hefty funding from the European Union. The setting for the 14th edition was chosen by event founder Anis Montacer. He's launching his own label, Outa, with a collection made from recycled plastic waste. Also worthy of mention are Portuguese designer Joana Maltez, young Tunisian designer Haroun Ghanmi and Mouna Ben Braham, who reinvents traditional Tunisian wedding attire. FRANCE 24 takes a closer look.

An enormous part of a museum's success depends on its curators. At Paris's Palais Galliera fashion museum, curator Alexandre Samson has declared 1997 a year unparalleled in its influence on global fashion. It was the year Jean-Paul Gaultier designed the costumes for Luc Besson’s film "The Fifth Element", Comme des Garçons and Martin Margiela revealed iconic collections and Tom Ford embraced the porno-chic aesthetic at Gucci. We check out a celebration of 1990s audacity at the exhibition "1997 Fashion Big Bang".

The first edition of the IWP in 1954 crowned none other than Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. Fast forward to today, when designers from around the world compete for a prize fund of 200,000 Australian dollars and a prestigious mentoring program. The collections must be made from 100% wool and respect the principles of sustainable fashion. The Grand Prix this year was awarded to Nigerian designer Adeju Thomson, who was inspired by the idea of "decolonising design".

Modest fashion is a way of dressing that respects specific clothing requirements for reasons of faith and also personal preference. The market for modest fashion is huge – and it's only getting bigger, with both designers and influencers keen to get in on the action. FRANCE 24 went to check out the second edition of Paris Modest Fashion Week.

What are the hidden resources today's fashion designers can draw on? Research and exploration, which spark creativity. Young Ukrainian designer Ivan Frolov digs deep into our propensity to seek the source of our desires. Dutch designer Iris van Herpen immerses herself in the depths of the ocean. Back on dry land, Japan's Yuima Nakazato explores Nairobi's mountain of garbage. Dutch duo Viktor & Rolf take an intellectual approach to research with an ironic take on glamour, while France's Alexandre Vauthier explores the practical needs of his clients.

In Lomé, the capital of Togo, Jacques Logoh has good reason to be cheerful. The young designer and founder of the Togo International Fashion Festival has made it his mission to ensure the event embodies the values of diversity. Alex and Kim are androgynous models. They're walking for – among others – Fauvette Nacto, in a show that's a celebration of marriage in all its forms. It’s a theme that a number of designers have been inspired by this year. FRANCE 24 went to take a closer look.

All fashion designers have one thing in common: whatever the challenges, however much the odds appear stacked against them, they find a way to keep working. Yohji Yamamoto, having recently lost two close family members, uses his anger as the force behind a period of contemplation. Meanwhile, Ukrainian designers Svitlana Bevza and Lilia Litkovska ensure they find ways to express themselves through clothes, despite living in a country at war.