In the 1970s, to people the world over, French fashion still meant the haute couture of Yves Saint Laurent and Hubert de Givenchy. But in the 1980s, a new generation of designers was to change everything.

In the early 1990s, with the economic crisis, the first Gulf War and the devastation caused by AIDS, fashion reflected the times. It was sombre, desperate and sometimes violent. Clothing underwent deconstruction and recycling, and fashion shows became fashion performances.

In the early 21st century, world commercialisation caught up with fashion. In a now globalised market, the brands sought new markets and became more accessible. Fashion is now everywhere. But how do the designers fit into this increasingly brutal system?