Foot-tapping fashion from Paris to Pakistan

Islamabad -- Paris-based Pakistani designer Mehmood Bhatti says fashion designers from India, Bangladesh and China are giving Europeans and American fashion houses a run for their money.

The celebrated haute couture is dying out even in Paris, the Mecca of world fashion, says Bhatti, who is one of those opting for "Pret" and street fashion that is wearable.

Pakistani designers should take their cue from the international scene and evolve accordingly, The News International quoted him as saying Thursday.

Bhatti has brought his autumn/winter 06/07 collection, combining fashion with philanthropy, to raise funds for the second time to NGO Umeed-e-Noor Foundation working among handicapped children in Pakistan.

The showing of his Zephyr Collection last year was an entertaining fashion extravaganza, by the end of which people were on their feet dancing in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

The entertainment value Bhatti provided with funky street fashion worked very well with the Pakistani audience, the newspaper said in a report from Karachi.

This year again, the shows will be held in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Faisalabad.

According to the designer, the highlight of the show will be a performance by a Lido artiste from a happening Paris club with 200 dancers, one of whom has come to Pakistan with "our very own Big B from France," the newspaper said in an obvious comparison to Indian star Amitabh Bachchan.

Bhatti has also brought a team of 24 people, including a French choreographer, models and make-up artistes. He has made Paris his home and that is the culture he promotes via his shows and fashion collections.

He uses Pakistani produced fabric, churning export quality material into dresses and tops of high standard.

Positive and excited about the rapidly evolving fashion industry here, Bhatti plans to take part in the Pakistan Fashion Week next year. His more ambitious project is setting up a university in Lahore that will house both a fashion and medical school.