For the third year, Shabana Azmi’s NGO, Mijwan Welfare Society, is hosting a fashion show, Mijwan Sonnets In Fabric 2012. Come September 3, and 23 celebrities will be walking the ramp at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. Actor Imran Khan is specially flying down from Oman for it. Among the 21 who’ve confirmed their presence is cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who jumped on board despite having a show of his own on August 10.

“We hope to get boxer Mary Kom also,” says Shabana.For her, the high is that 120 of Mijwan’s female population now will have their craftsmanship showcased through Manish Malhotra’s designs. “Manish has broken the tradition and made them do chikankari on net to upgrade their skills and help them earn more money. This has increased their negotiating power with the men in their households. It has brought many to the six centres we have set up,” she reasons.

Shabana believes that India’s USP in fashion is the craftsmanship, something Mijwan focuses on. “For the sangeet ceremony of a media magnate’s daughter in London, the chikankari work in the outfit designed by Manish has been done in Mijwan. For me, the world is becoming flat and the benefits of globalisation are reaching the poorest and the remotest parts of India,” says Shabana, whose girls are now learning English from US instructors through Skype. “I’m getting enquiries from London and New York, maybe next year, we can have a show like this there.”