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Dimapur, Jan. 11 (EMN): Two Nagas—Andrew Ahoto, chairman of Livingstone Foundation International and 12-year-old Aaron Akivito Sema—will be representing not only Nagaland but the entire country at the ‘Mt. Everest Fashion Runway,’ a mega fashion show, which is attempting to set an all new Guinness World Record for the highest altitude fashion show in the world.
The event will be held at Kala Patthar, Mt. Everest in Nepal on January 26. Ahoto informed this at a press conference on January 11.
More than 15 ‘international professional super models’ will walk the ramp, and mentors will include designers from different top fashion labels like Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton, amongst others. The team will trek from Lukla to Kala Patthar on January 15 and will return to Kathmandu on January 30.
Ahoto informed that the event has been organised to draw global attention towards saving nature and mountains from non-biodegradable fashion products and items.
“Let us be minimalistic in the quantity of our wardrobe; we will be reusing clothes including second-hand clothing,” informed Ahoto adding that people look at fashion as the ‘worst contributor to climate change’.
Ahoto will be presenting a talk on environment, climate change and sustainable development, which will be a new Guinness record title in itself for the ‘highest altitude speech delivered on environment’.
The show will be an elite gathering of top models, VVIPs and several Guinness record new title attempters including highest altitude fashion show on land, largest fashion catalogue, largest fashion photo-shoot and largest attendance at a fashion show.
The entire project is focused on global climate change and is an initiative of team KASA, which is an international fashion brand founded in the valley of Kathmandu.
Ahoto further gave an example of Bhutan, which is not only a carbon-neutral country but also a carbon-negative nation with lush green forests, which is ‘a great way to fight climate change and global warming’.
“All plastic products should be used, reused, recycled and repurposed as they are not degradable products,” said Ahoto while maintaining that the entire north-eastern region of India acts as ‘breathing lungs of the entire country but remains neglected on a global scale’.
“Places like Nagaland are not even given their due share in terms of aid and support, either from the Indian government or the World Bank,” Ahoto shared.
He lamented that due to lack of effective funding from ‘concerned agencies’, there is minimal economic development in the north-eastern region despite attempts at preserving natural resources including the virgin forests, so that the pollution caused by industries and vehicles in mainland India is mitigated to a great extent.
He was optimistic that the fashion show will be able to bring to the fore the crucial issue of climatic change across the globe, which is at present the biggest threat to mankind. He further expressed the need and importance of sensitising the student community on environmental issues including global warming and climate change, as they are the future leaders of this planet.
“Issues on environment like climate change should be incorporated in the curriculum of different school boards across the globe so that students are encouraged to take up these burning issues right from a young age,” shared Ahoto.
Further, Ahoto informed that the carbon emission produced from the flights used by the team and the models to reach Lukla will be compensated by planting trees in Nepal as well as their respective nations.
It was also informed that a team from MTV would be filming the journey.
“The batteries that will be used for the camera equipments will be carried by an extra porter to the Mt. Everest base camp and returned to the municipality in order to be disposed off in a proper manner,” informed Ahoto.
The Mt. Everest fashion runway is supported by several international and national organisations such as KASA, RB Diamond Jewellers, Aurea Center (Auroville), Livingstone Foundation International, Nagaland, Shine Magazine, Turkish Airlines, Summit Air, Nepal Medicity, Himalaya TV, Pro-model Nepal, The Ridge Films and others.