Students in Mexico design “narco” fashion show

About 200 fashion design students at Mexico City's Ibero American University have opened a show of dozens of dresses and other clothes examining the effects of the drug trade on Mexican culture.

Rhinestones, pistols, spattered blood, skulls and marijuana leaves are prominent among the designs, displayed on mannequins at the school's campus.

Some of the dresses are demure - although there's a party dress with a pistol tucked in a sash. Another dress features the colors of the Mexican flag drenched in fake blood.

The show's goal, in fashion student Sofía Redondo's words, is "to explain the world of drug trafficking with fashion, and show how it is affecting Mexican culture."

Some Mexicans have adopted fashions popular among drug traffickers, ranging from polo shirts to embroidered caps.

The exhibition is open until April 8 and can be visited from 7:00 to 22:00 hrs. at Building R (ground floor) of the Ibero American University. (Prolongación Paseo de la Reforma No. 880, Lomas de Santa Fe, Mexico City). Admission is free.