'Miracles Do Happen' fashion show attract large crowd

Do you believe in miracles? If so, have you heard of 'Paper Miracles?' It is an income-generating activity for the residents of a paraplegic centre, women who suffered injuries during the 2005 earthquake in Azad Kashmir. These young women repeatedly faced great difficulty entering the workforce due to their physical disability after surviving the devastation. Along came Elli Takagaki, a young Japanese woman behind the project, and a miracle occurred — Paper Miracles (PM) beautiful beads that are hand rolled from paper and made into necklaces; earrings and bracelets!
To create awareness about the project and raise funds to support its activities, the Paper Miracles team of volunteers organised a fashion show in collaboration with four design houses of Islamabad. The event was held at the Marriott Hotel and well attended by supporters, many of them members of the Rotary Club of Islamabad Renaissance (RCIR) which has supported the project from the beginning. Besides showcasing the latest creations by the designers, Tariq Amin's Saloon team, led by Fayeza Amin, did the hair and make-up and skillfully demonstrated how PM jewellery can be worn to accentuate your overall look.

Gold and silver jewellery was definitely a no-no for this event and PM filled the gap well — not to say this will happen any time soon as far as wedding customs go — that will be another miracle!

The four design houses were Bina Sultan (BNS); Nasia (NZK); SNS and Naz Collection and their clothes were displayed by models but the heart-warming part was that wives of diplomats, led by Susan, wife of the Australian High Commissioner, Peter Heyward — who is the brand ambassador for PM — also took part in the event.
The ladies from the EU; Hungary; Bulgaria; the US and of course Pakistan (Mahreen Khan) and others walked the ramp in style and drew appreciative applause from the audience — especially the young at heart who could relate to them since a majority of women do not have figures like models! BNS showcased the indigenous craft of needlework in her collection; NZK concentrated on beige and black evening wear; SNS and Naz Collection concentrated wedding wear, with SNS having more opulent outfits for select customers.

The show had been well planned as in between the four sections giving the models time to change their outfits — and keep the audience interested — there was a raffle draw; an introduction to three of the women who are residents of the centre; a very well produced mime show by young boys and girls; an introduction of the PM team that works to create the lovely jewellery from the beads and the 'how and why' of PM by Elli Takagaki.
Addressing the audience at the end of the show, Elli said she had been inspired to help the women after meeting them and hearing their stories and she had decided to use her knowledge of a similar project she had seen in Uganda. "Displaced from their homes and forced into wheelchairs, one would think their spirits would be broken. But these women have demonstrated inspiring resilience and unyielding commitment demonstrating their courage and desire to rebuild their lives," said Elli. "Regardless of experiencing immense pain and trauma, these women continue to move forward with a positive attitude and an increased will to lead a normal life, a miracle in itself."

In conclusion there was a word of thanks for all the sponsors and students of Iqra University (who helped backstage) came on stage to a round of applause — it was good to see these young boys and girls who had stepped forward to volunteer. The only negative comment was that there was too much noise behind the stage and on stage dialogue could not be heard by those sitting nearby but on the whole everyone appreciated the effort and enjoyed an entertaining afternoon. BTW, PM jewellery is great and makes a perfect and unique gift for the women in your life.