(17 Aug 2017) LEADIN:
Fashionistas in Kabul are hoping Afghanistan's first ever multi-ethnic fashion show will lead to a more tolerant society.
Models, designers and organisers put the best of Afghan designs onto the catwalk despite ongoing violence by Taliban and Islamic State militants.
STORYLINE:
Amid tight security, more than two dozen young models, including six women, strut down the catwalk in the garden of a private Kabul villa, proudly displaying the traditional clothing and costumes of Afghanistan's many ethnic groups.
The male models are showing off Afghan variants of the shalwar kameez, the men's long shirt and trousers known as perahan tunban, worn with turban, pakul or karakul hats.
The women are wearing colourful gand-e-Afghanis, made from softly flowing and intricately embroidered materials, some with matching scarves.
The audience, about 100 men and women, tightly pack the small space. The mood is as bright as the models' embroidered tunics and scarves.
It's a scene that would have been unimaginable during the regime of the Taliban.
Despite the daily threats of militant attacks in this war-weary capital, the organiser - 22-year-old model and fashion designer, Ajmal Haqiqi says putting on the show is worth the risk.
Haqiqi says he was motivated by the desire to show off Afghan culture through the nation's dazzling abundance of traditional garments and regional costumes. If Afghans regain an awareness of their rich heritage, this could help unite them, he believes.
"When I put out the invitation on Facebook, some of our friends had negative feedback and were saying that, a programme such as this should not be held at this point of time. My response was that if a suicide bomber attacks us, even if I lose my arms and feet, I would move on with my decision. There were security threats and even some of our friends on Facebook were curious whether the show would happen or not, but we were determined to move on with the show."
More than 16 years after the 2001 U.S. assault that ousted the Taliban from power, the idea of women on display remains mostly taboo in Afghanistan.
Some women still don't go outside without wearing blue burqas that cover them from head to toe, leaving only a mesh over the eyes. Violence against women is still common, and there are reports of women being stoned, executed in public or imprisoned for having affairs with men. Women have even set themselves on fire to escape domestic violence.
Haqiqi's group, the Haqiqi Modeling Agency, is a relative newcomer on the country's small fashion scene, but he has appeared on national television on various occasions including Independence Day, Persian New Year, known as Nowruz, and the Muslim holidays of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr.
The agency sells the designs under its own "Haqiqi Brand," with about 70 percent of the sales going to foreigners and Afghans who live aboard.
21 year-old Atefa Fasihi joined Haqiqi's team two years ago. The show is her first before a live audience.
She admits to feeling uneasy as security guards with machine guns protect the villa in the western Kabul neighbourhood.
"Everybody is scared, but if someone is determined to reach his or her goal they have to neglect all fears and struggle against it. Neither Daesh (Islamic State) nor the Taliban can stop us or our team. We are working for our culture, we are working to develop our Afghan culture, so I foresee a good future."
And it's not just the women that are breaking taboos.
He's having his make-up done before the show. It's a standard procedure in many countries, but deemed unacceptable in conservative Afghan society.
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