Models promote clothing, culture in show of unity on Kabul catwalk

KABUL - Amid tight security, over two dozen young models, including six women, strutted 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 audience, about 100 men and women, tightly packed the small space on a recent afternoon, but the mood was as bright as the models' embroidered tunics and scarves - a scene that would have been unimaginable under Taliban rule.

For the organizer, 22-year-old model and fashion designer Ajmal Haqiqi, putting on the show was worth the risk - despite daily threats of militant attacks in this war-weary capital.